From Bad to Worse
by Reyna15
Summary: Pine Hollow has its fair share of trouble. And Stevie is a part of it. Her and Carole fight, leaving Stevie in an odd mental state, and she has to prepare for an upcoming show. She decides to go on a trail ride with Phil, despite Carole and Lisa's warning of a blizzard. While out, the blizzard strikes, leaving Carole and Lisa stuck inside Pine H, and Stevie and Phil locked out.
1. Chapter 1: A Good Day

**From Bad to Worse…**

This is a fanfiction about the Saddle Club, mainly involving Stevie, Phil, and their horses. To avoid confusion, I am not creating any new characters, and I did not change anything to the already present characters. This is based as it would be an Episode in season 2. This is also my first fanfiction, and I have no idea how good it will be! Enjoy reading! I appreciate all commentary and critiques!

**Chapter 1: A Good Day**

Stevie walked into the barn in a good mood. Fall had come and gone and winter was passing through. Stevie hoped it would snow; it made everything so pretty, and was fun to ride in. She closed her eyes and hummed as she strolled towards Belle's stall. Not watching where she was going, she bumped into a hard figure.

"Hey! Watch where you're going!" Veronica spat. "You almost ran me over!"

"Sorry!" Stevie rolled her eyes and continued walking. Veronica was such a wuss sometimes!

"Sorry doesn't clean up Garnet's stall!" Veronica could be heard from across the barn. Stevie paused and turned around for a brief moment.

"No, but freshly pampered Veronica's do!" She chuckled and turned into Belle's stall. The black mare greeted her with a nicker.

"Sorry girl, no carrots today!" Stevie innocently held up her hands. Belle nudged her jean pockets gently. Stevie laughed and grabbed a brush from her nearby bucket. Still in a good mood, she continued her humming as she groomed Belle.

Unbeknownst to Stevie, Lisa and Carole had walked up and were watching her. Lisa motioned to Carole and they slipped into Belle's stall unnoticed. With a hand on Belle, Carole raised her other hand and held up three fingers. Counting down, her and Lisa opened their mouths.

"BOOOO!"

Stevie shrieked and tumbled back into the straw. Belle let out a surprised whinny. "WHAT WAS THAT FOR?" Stevie yelled, but she was bent over from laughing too.

"We got you!" Lisa gasped as her and Carole collapsed onto the straw next to Stevie. Stevie playfully tossed some hay onto them and it indulged into a small hay-fight. The group was laughing so hard they didn't hear Max come to the stall.

"What are you girls doing?" He asked smiling. Startled, Stevie threw the hay she was holding at the figure. Straw spilled down Max's head and into his hair.

"Thanks girls, I needed that." Max just sighed and walked off smiling, to check on the other students.

Stevie looked at Lisa and Carole dumbfounded. "Was he-did I?" She looked at Lisa, who was in tears from laughing, and Carole whose face was red as well.

"Oh no." Stevie sighed shook her head to get rid of all the straw. "Now he's going to be extra tough on me during lessons!" She laughed.

"Lessons! I almost forgot!" Lisa jumped up. "I've got to tack up Prancer!" She burst out of the stall before Carole and Stevie could say, much less do, anything.

"How could she forget?" Carole asked. "We've been talking about lessons all morning!"

Stevie ignored her and started up humming again.

"Why are you in such a good mood today?" Carole asked.

"I don't know, just a good day I guess." Stevie moved onto Belle's hooves. It hadn't rained that night, and the dirt was dry. It was harder to pick out than mud, but easier to groom off the hair and legs.

"Oh come on, something had to make you this happy. I don't think I've seen you this chipper in a long time! What's on your mind?" Carole asked persistently.

"Nothing, honest." Stevie shrugged and placed the saddle onto Belle's back. "I guess the cold weather is getting to me!" She smiled as she tightened the girth.

"You're like the horses!" Carole sighed. "One blow of cold air and they're all off running and kicking!"

Stevie smiled and grabbed the reins. "Come on Carole!" She motioned to the door. "Lessons start in two minutes! Why don't you go help Lisa? I'll meet you two in the ring." With that, Stevie led Belle out of her stall, and towards the freshly turned dirt of the riding arena. Today was going to be a great day, Stevie thought, as she stepped out into the sunlight of the cold, but sunny, winter's day.

-Cue TSC Theme Song-


	2. Chapter 2: Broken Hearts

**Chapter Two: Broken Hearts  
**

Stevie walked into the ring. Belle nickered at the other horses as they walked past them. Stevie draped the reins over the fence and stood, waiting for Carole and Lisa. After three minutes, Veronica walked over to her.

"Where is your pathetic Saddle Club?" She sneered. "Have they decided not to come?"

"I don't know Veronica. Just leave me alone." Stevie turned her back towards Veronica.

"Fine, no need to get angry at me, I was just asking." Veronica smiled. "You know, maybe they decided they were better than you! They ARE better jumpers you know!" Veronica turned Garnet away, but Stevie failed to notice how she was smiling. Veronica, always up to no good, had something planned.

Red walked up just as Veronica was leaving. "What are you doing?" He yelled. "Lessons started over five minutes ago! Come on! Get Belle warmed up!" He paused and looked around. "Where are Carole and Lisa?"

"That's what I'd like to know!" Stevie sighed angrily, still thinking about what Veronica had said. "They told me to wait for them, but they haven't shown."

Red nodded. "Alright, five more minutes, and then you need to get on. Why don't you go ahead and walk Belle around? She seems restless, and could use the warm up." With that, he turned and went back to helping Melanie with mounting.

"Come on Belle," Stevie gently grabbed Belle's reins and led her around the ring. She watched as Veronica and Garnet sailed over a nearby jump. "Oh Belle, where are they?" Stevie looked around but Carole and Lisa were nowhere to be seen. Belle suddenly turned and neighed at an approaching figure. Stevie squinted against the sun. Phil and Teddy had walked into the ring. Stevie, glad to see a friendly face, walked over to join them.

"Hey Phil, I didn't know you were in today's lesson," Stevie forced a smile.

"Yeah, it was kind of last minute, but I decided to come." Phil started tightening Teddy's girth. "Hey, where are Carole and Lisa?"

Stevie frowned. "I don't know. They said they were going to meet me in the arena, but they haven't shown yet." She turned away and pulled the reins over Belle's head. "Hey Phil, are you jumping today?"

"Hmm? Oh, no, Teddy's not a very good jumper. I'm just here to tag along." Phil put his foot in the stirrup and hopped onto Teddy. "Want to walk along the rail with me?" He looked at Stevie hopefully.

"I don't know, I'm supposed to wait for Carole and Lisa." She sighed and sat down on the fence.

"How long have you been waiting?"

Stevie glanced at her watch. "Eleven minutes." She sighed. "Okay, I'm coming with you." Stevie stood up and jumped into the saddle. Belle gave a gleeful nicker. Together, Stevie and Phil led their horses on a warm up circuit around the ring.

About three minutes later, Carole and Lisa appeared from the barn.

"Hey, where's Stevie?" Lisa asked. She looked around but couldn't see her.

"Look." Carole pointed at Stevie and Phil together on the rail. "Apparently she found someone else to warm up with." Carole said grumpily.

Lisa turned and looked. When she saw Stevie and Phil she smiled. "Aww, they're so cute together!" She gazed at them as if in a dream.

"Yeah, but it's JUST them, what about us? She was supposed to wait for us!" Carole reminded Lisa. Lisa's smile disappeared and she stared at the ground, suddenly a bit sad.

"Oh yeah, I remember. Why didn't she wait?" Lisa asked.

"I don't know, why don't you ask her for yourself." Lisa turned as Stevie and Phil walked up.

"Hey guys!" Phil waved at Lisa and Carole. "What took you so long?"

"Ashley had spilled some feed, and when Prancer smelled it she ran out of her stall. When I tried to get her, she got up and started running around the barn. We had to catch her." Lisa explained. She looked at Stevie. "Sorry, I didn't mean to make you wait."

"It's fine." Stevie replied angrily, but didn't look at Lisa when she said it.

"Is everything okay?" Lisa asked Stevie worriedly.

"Yeah, it's fine." Stevie turned Belle towards the center. "You have to get going. Lessons started ten minutes ago." With that she asked Belle for a trot, and they trot off towards the jumps.

"What was that about?" Carole asked.

"I don't know, she seemed really happy earlier!" Lisa added. They turned to Phil.

"What? She was fine when I was with her!" He raised his hands in surrender. "I can ask her though, if you want."

"Thanks Phil!" Lisa smiled and her and Carole hopped onto their horses. "We need to warm up anyways, right Carole?"

"Yeah, we do." Carole nodded, and they rode off towards the rail together. Stevie eyed them warily.

"Come on Belle, we don't need them to ace this jump!" She turned Belle towards the nearest jump and picked up the canter. As they approached the jump, Stevie thought about Veronica had said. She wasn't focusing on the jump.

"Easy Belle!" Belle had started to speed up while Stevie was daydreaming. With a leap, Belle soared over the jump, but knocked over one of the poles on the way down.

"Maybe next time Stevie! Nice try!" Lisa called from across the ring. Stevie felt a surge of anger run through her. She slowed Belle down into a walk and brought her back to the rail. Carole and Lisa approached her.

"Hey, nice jump! You were so close!" Carole said excitedly.

"Not close enough." Stevie gave Belle an angry kick and they cantered away from Carole.

Lisa and Carole watched as Stevie cantered away. "What was with that?" Lisa asked, but Carole was watching Stevie. She seemed a bit hurt. "Don't worry, I'm sure she didn't mean it!" Lisa said hopefully.

"I don't know, it's just so weird, she was fine earlier." Carole watched as Stevie and Belle tried another jump, and knocked down another pole. She almost yelled something out, but decided not to.

"Hey Stevie, come here!" Red motioned Stevie over towards the center. Stevie pulled Belle towards Red.

"Yes?" Stevie slowed Belle to a stop. "What's wrong Red?"

"What's with you today?" Red asked. "You've knocked down two poles just today! You're normally such a great rider! What's wrong?" Red patted Belle on the neck.

"I don't know, just some minor issues I guess," Stevie turned and looked at Lisa and Carole. "It's not important."

Red followed Stevie's gaze. He sighed. "Alright, but don't let it bother you. Horses can sense when you aren't relaxed. Those knocked over poles are Belle's way of telling you to ease up! Worry about your problems after the lesson!" Red looked up at Stevie and smiled. "Okay?"

"Okay." Stevie said, but she didn't mean it. She pulled Belle towards the rail and they walked alone for a bit. A few minutes later, Phil approached Stevie.

"Hey," Phil said cautiously. He didn't want her to snap at _him_ too. "How…..are you?"

"How do you think?" Stevie said angrily. She urged Belle into a trot.

"Hey!" Phil trot up to Belle and Stevie. "What's with you? Why the sudden anger? You were so happy earlier!"

"Yeah, that was twenty minutes ago. Why do you care?" She scowled.

"Because I'm your friend! In fact, I'm more than a friend! Stevie, I really like you, and I just want to make sure you're okay!" Phil reached for Stevie's hand but she pulled away.

"Why wouldn't I be okay?! And if you have a problem with me, than find someone else to like!" Stevie turned Belle around and walked off the other direction. Phil watched, hurt. All he wanted to know was if she was okay. He sighed and walked off towards Carole and Lisa.

Her lesson over, Stevie dismounted and pulled Belle into the barn. "What is with everybody today?" Stevie said aloud. She led Belle towards the barn, but stopped when she saw Veronica talking to Kirsti in the stall next to Belle's. She didn't want to deal with them now.

"You know what, let's go on a trail ride!" Stevie said to Belle. She dragged Belle back outside in time to see Carole jump the same jump she had attempted. She flew over it with ease and ladned smoothly. Maybe they are better than me, Stevie thought. However, this just made her more upset. She led Belle towards the fence to mount up again.

"Nice one Carole!" Lisa called. Carole smiled and walked Starlight up to her.

"Thanks!" Carole and Lisa watched as Phil trot up to them.

"Hey guys," he said.

"Hey Phil!" Lisa smiled. "How did your talk with Stevie go?"

Phil frowned, upset. "She was so angry, I don't know why." He told them what she had said.

"Oh Phil, that's awful!" Carole sighed. "I don't know what's wrong."

"Hey, where's she going?" Lisa pointed as Stevie galloped towards the Valley Trail.

"Looks to me like she wants to be alone." Carole said.

"We can't just let her run off like that! She needs us!" Lisa headed towards the gate. "Come on!" Without asking Red, her and Carole ran off to follow Stevie.

"GIRLS!" Red yelled at them, but they were already far away. He turned to Phil, "Where are they going?"

Phil shrugged and urged Teddy into a trot. Red gave and exasperated sigh, and returned to his lesson.

Meanwhile on the Valley Trail…

Stevie held Belle's mane as they galloped along the dirt trail that led towards the valley. She felt a few tears sting her eyes, but assumed they were from the harsh winter winds. Once at the valley, she slowed Belle to a walk.

"Easy girl, that's enough for right now." Stevie loosened the reins and Belle dropped her head in search of grass. Most of the grass was dead, but a few green strips remained.

Lisa and Carole watched from the trees. "She looks fine to me." Carole pointed out. "She obviously just wants to be alone."

Lisa didn't listen, and she trot Prancer up to Stevie and Belle.

"Stevie!" Lisa yelled out as she approached Belle. Stevie swung around, her face red from the wind.

"What are you doing here?" Stevie asked. "What about your lesson?"

"Oh, it finished early," Lisa lied. Carole walked out of the trees to join them.

"You too?" Stevie asked. She was getting frustrated.

"Yeah. Hey, don't take it the wrong way, we just wanted to make sure you were okay!" Carole said before Stevie could go off.

"Why wouldn't I be? I'm fine!" Stevie yelled.

"I don't know, you were so happy this morning, and now, you seem so mad! What did we do?" Lisa asked. Her voice was almost drowned out by the harsh winds.

"You left me alone for over ten minutes! Red and Veronica were mad at me!" Stevie cried.

"We had a very good reason!" Carole responded. "We didn't ditch you!"

"I didn't know that!" Stevie felt tears swell in her eyes but she blinked them away. "I thought you had left me alone on purpose!" She yelled.

"Why would we do that? We're your friends! How could you ever get such an idea?!" Lisa cried out. "Did Veronica say something?"

Stevie looked at the ground and Carole sighed. "What did she tell you?" She asked.

"She said you left me because you were better jumpers than I am." Stevie said quietly.

"And you believed her?" Lisa shrieked. "I thought you were better than that!"

"I know, I don't know why I let her get to me. I mean, we're all equally good jumpers." Stevie attempted to smile, but the wind made her keep her mouth shut.

Carole looked at the ground. She didn't mean to be rude, but she thought she _was _a better jumper than Stevie. She didn't want to make Stevie upset though.

Her efforts failed. "We _are _equally good, right Carole?" Stevie questioned.

"Hmm? Oh, of course!" Carole lied.

Stevie frowned and walked closer to Carole. "Of course?" She looked Carole in the eye and immediately saw through her lie.

"Oh my gosh, you think you're better than me. You think Veronica was right!" Stevie yelled.

"I know, it's not right, I just always thought I was the best rider at Pine Hollow!" Carole said matter-o-factly.

"You may be a good rider, but the best? I think that's a little too far Carole! Nobody's the best! We're all equal!" Stevie shrieked.

"Well I think I'm the best! I do! In fact, I don't think, I know! You couldn't even jump a simple cross-rail! What are you, a novice? Even Melanie could jump that!" Carole screamed. As soon as the words left her mouth she regretted it. Stevie stared at Carole, wide-eyed. Her eyes filled with tears and she looked away.

"Oh, Stevie, I didn't mean-"

Stevie wiped her eyes with her sleeve.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know y-you felt that w-way." She looked at Carole. "I don't d-deserve to be friends with the b-best rider at P-Pine Hollow." Carole gasped. She'd never seen Stevie so upset.

"Stevie, you know I-" But Stevie was gone. As Carole turned, she saw a flash of black disappear into the trees.

"Lisa-" Carole turned to Lisa. Lisa's face was pale, and she seemed shocked. "It's okay Carole, she knows you didn't mean it!"

Carole shook her head. "Not this time Lisa. This time, it's much, much worse." Carole stared at the spot where Stevie had been standing. In one day, she had not only lost a fellow rider, but also a friend. And she wasn't sure she could ever get that friend back.


	3. Chapter 3: All Hope is Lost

**Chapter Three: All Hope is Lost**

Stevie clung to Belle's neck. Tears flew down her face and into her hair. She urged Belle faster, faster, until they arrived at Pine Hollow. Stevie slid down Belle's back and quickly led Belle into her stall. She didn't want to groom down Belle, all Stevie wanted was to lie down and cry. She took off Belle's tack anyways and groomed Belle down. She was about to refill her water when Veronica stepped into the stall doorway.

"How are you today Stevie? Bad lesson?" She smirked.

Stevie ignored her and walked by, her head hung low. Veronica gasped. She had never seen Stevie so upset before.

"Stevie, are you okay?" And she meant it. She had always loved it when the Saddle Club fought, but she didn't like seeing Stevie so down.

Stevie continued to ignore Veronica. Not on purpose, she was just too upset to speak. Veronica seemed to sense this, and frowned. She almost felt bad for Stevie.

"Here, let me help." She picked up a brush and stroked Belle's flanks. Veronica never imagined the day when she'd be doing stable chores, but she wanted to see Stevie happy again. Then Stevie would be mean to her and they'd go back to being enemies. That, Veronica realized, was what she really wanted.

"T-t-thanks." Stevie mumbled as she brushed Belle's mane. A few stray tears ran down her cheeks and she looked at the ground the entire time she groomed.

"No problem. There, now she looks almost as good as Garnet." Veronica said. She pat Stevie on the shoulder. "Hey, no one's in the lounge right now. Why don't you go and get a drink. There's soda in the fridge! My treat!" Veronica smiled a little. She was a little creeped out by Stevie's behavior. This all changed very quickly.

"Thank you Veronica." Stevie said quietly. She threw her arms around Veronica's waist and gave her a hug. Veronica gasped, surprised at the sudden change. Stevie never hugged ANYONE, except the Saddle Club, and occasionally Phil. To be honest, Veronica felt, quite honored.

After a minute, Stevie released her grip and ran out of the barn towards the lounge. Veronica leaned against the wall of the stall, stunned silent. Kirsti walked by.

"Hey Veronica, what's up." She smiled.

Veronica sat down in the straw, her mouth opened in a huge O. Kirsti shrugged, and walked off to find Red.

Stevie ran into the lounge. Veronica was right, no one was there. She didn't feel like eating or drinking, and ran to the couch. She collapsed onto the couch and drew her knees to her chest. Stevie lay there for what seemed like forever, crying. After at least three hours, Phil walked by the lounge. He was surprised to see most of the lights out. Usually there were lots of people in the lounge, it was everyone's favorite hangout. Phil shrugged to himself and cautiously opened the door.

It appeared to be empty, and Phil went to the fridge. He opened it letting its bright light flood the dark room. He pulled out a soda and popped it open. Pouring a mouthful, he walked over to the couch to watch a TV show or two.

As he approached the couch, a faint whimpering sound could be heard. Phil glanced around, but the farm dogs were nowhere to be seen. "Huh?"

Phil looked at the couch, and was deeply disturbed by what he saw. Stevie was lying, curled up in a ball, on the couch. Her chest rattled with every breath she took. Her hair was tangled and the tips of it were wet. The part of the couch by her head was also wet, from her tears. A faint sobbing sound could be heard from the mass on the couch.  
"Oh Stevie…Oh Stevie…" Phil kneeled down next to her head. "What happened?" He gently placed a hand on her shoulder. She turned slowly, her usually bright blue eyes were watery. She ran her tongue over her dried lips gently before speaking. When she spoke, it was one word.

"Carole." She whispered harshly, before she broke into a sob. She buried her head into the already wet couch and pulled her knees closer. Phil gasped. He couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"Carole did this? How?" He asked quietly. But Stevie was too far gone. She continued sobbing, her breath shaky. Phil ran to the kitchen and grabbed a towel.

"Stevie, Stevie, sit up. Come on, sit up." Phil grabbed her shoulder and attempted to lift her up, but she lay limply, and it was impossible to move her. "Stevie, come on!" Phil finally managed to get her to sit up, and he handed her the towel. She grabbed it and buried her face in it, like she had the couch. Phil sat down next to her and pulled her closer. She rested her head on his shoulder, her body shaking. Phil guessed she had been here for over an hour and was astounded. He was also confused. How could _Carole, _of all people, do something so horrible? Phil turned and stroked Stevie's hair gently. He'd never seen one person so upset.

"Shhh, it's okay, it's okay. Shhhhh…" He softly crooned to her until she finally stopped shaking. She was still sobbing, but not as bad. Phil's shoulder was now wet, but he didn't care.

"I'm sorry." Stevie said softly.

Phil almost jumped out of his skin. She hadn't spoken for a good forty-five minutes and her voice kind of scared him.

"Sorry for what? What's to be sorry about?" Phil asked.

"Sorry about earlier." Stevie gasped. "I didn't mean to snap at you." She started shaking again.

"Oh, don't worry about that." He said.

"I don't want you to stop liking me." Stevie rasped. Phil felt himself blush slightly.

"I couldn't do that anyways." He said. And it was true.

"I know." Stevie gave a small yawn and Phil couldn't help but chuckle. She'd been at the barn all day! Of course she was tired!

"I love you."

Phil froze. He felt his heart start beating faster, and his face got hot. "I-I-I-" He looked for something to say. "I-I love you too." He whispered in her ear, but she had fallen asleep.

Her breathing slowed, and her eyes were closed. Phil couldn't help but cry a little. She seemed so vulnerable, so frail. Phil leaned back on the couch, and closed his eyes. Even though Stevie was still upset, he couldn't block out her voice from his mind. _I love you. _He felt a tingling run through his body. She loved him. Within a few minutes, Phil was also sound asleep.

It was 7:00 when Veronica was leaving. Her mother was coming and would arrive at about 7:30. Veronica was still stunned by what had happened earlier, and couldn't shake it off, no matter how hard she tried. Sighing, Veronica got up and decided to take a stroll. She wasn't surprised to find herself at the doors to the lounge ten minutes later.

"Here goes." She took a deep breath and quietly opened the doors. Most of the lights were off, but the windows provided a little light. Veronica walked over to the fridge. The soda she had brought, and had offered to Stevie, was still there.

"She must not have wanted it." Veronica said aloud.

Phil snapped awake. By the sound of Stevie's slow and raspy breathing, Phil could tell she was still asleep. He heard someone in the kitchen. Phil glanced at his watch.

7:18 PM.

Phil sighed, and slowly, as not to disturb Stevie, reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. He shot his mother, and Mrs. Lake, a text telling them they were spending the night at Pine Hollow.

"Phil?"

Veronica had approached the edge of the couch. "What are you still doing here?"

"Shhhh!" Phil scolded, and motioned to Stevie.

Veronica stared for a few minutes before she silently mouthed, "Oh."

She sat down on the chair across from the couch. "Is she okay?" Veronica whispered.

Phil shook his head. "No, I don't think so."

"Oh." Veronica was quiet for a moment. "What happened?" She asked.

"I don't know. When I asked Stevie, all she said was, Carole."

Veronica's eyes widened and she gasped. "Oh no! That's horrible!" She put her head in her hands. "Why would Carole do such a thing?"

"I don't know." Phil replied. "I'm not so sure myself. Hey, speaking of, have you seen them?"

"Hmm? Oh, yeah, Carole and Lisa came into the barn about ten minutes after Stevie did. They didn't talk, and as soon as they were done grooming, they left." Veronica explained. "Something must have happened." She glanced at Stevie. Stevie looked so peaceful when she slept, Veronica thought.

"Hmm, I don't know." Phil said with a yawn. He slowly got up and rested Stevie's head on pillow. Picking up the blanket off the floor, he draped it over her quietly. Then he motioned to Veronica to go into the kitchen. Once there, they continued talking.

"So are you spending the night here?" Veronica asked.

"Yeah, Stevie's mom said it was okay. She was a bit frustrated that Stevie hadn't texted her, but you know. Stevie could barely function properly." He said.

"Yeah." Veronica walked over to the bathroom. "I'll be one moment."

Inside she pulled out her phone. "Hey mom, yeah this is Veronica, would you mind bringing over my sleeping stuff? I'm going to spend the night. Yes, I know it's unsanitary-I know I-okay. Please? Really!? Thanks!" Veronica put her phone away and left the bathroom.

Phil turned around. "Can you?"

"Yeah, she's coming over with my stuff now." Veronica smiled. Never before had she been so happy. When her mom came by, Veronica set up her stuff on the floor next to the couch. Phil was already asleep in the chair by the time she finished setting up. At 8:48 PM, Veronica pulled her blanket closer to her, and fell asleep.

Phi was the first one up in the morning. He yawned and stretched his arms. Veronica stirred, but was still asleep. Stevie was out cold. She hadn't moved from the position she was in the other night.

Phil got up and went to the bathroom. He combed his hair, and then walked into the kitchen. Mrs. R had a toaster in the cabinet and a loaf of bread in the pantry. There was some butter and jam in the fridge that Phil pulled out as well. Phil also pulled open the curtains. Light flooded the kitchen area, making things bright again. There was a groan from the floor.

"Who turned on the lights?" Veronica sat up slowly. "Errrrrr, Phil!" She got up and went to the bathroom. When she came out, (thirty minutes later) she looked like the normal Veronica again.

"Oh. Toast." She scowled at the toaster Phil had set up on the counter. "My favorite."

Phil smiled. "It's all we got, take it or leave it!" He grabbed a plate and put the newly cooked toast on it. With two quick swipes he covered one side with butter, and the other with jam. Phil slid the plate over to the bar where Veronica was sitting.

"Thanks." She said sarcastically as she sat down at the table. Although she complained about it, Veronica ate all the toast anyways, and was asking for seconds.

After breakfast Phil pulled out a board game and him and Veronica went a couple of rounds. It was around 8:30 AM when Stevie woke up.

Neither of them noticed she was up until she sat down at the table next to them. Everything went quiet.

"Hey Stevie, get a good night's sleep?" Phil asked cheerfully.

No response.

Stevie sat there as if in a trance, her eyes fixed on some spot across the room. She didn't even acknowledge he was there until he got up and placed a hand on her shoulder. She almost jumped out of her skin.

"Hey." Stevie said.

"Hey." Phil motioned to the kitchen. "I have toast!"

"No thank you." Stevie spoke. She didn't even glance at Phil.

"Oh. Are you sure? I'm sure you're hungry!" He pushed a plate towards her. She looked down at it for a while before finally grabbing one of the pieces. She took one bite and set it back down.

"Done." She said, pushing her plate towards Phil. "Thanks." Phil stood there stunned. Something horrible must have happened, he thought. She was a totally different person.

He got up to put the plate away when Lisa walked in the door. Carole wasn't with her. "Oh, hey Phil!" She said cheerfully. "Have you seen-"

She glanced at the table and saw Stevie. "Oh Stevie! I was so worried about you!" She ran over and pulled up a chair in front of Stevie.

Stevie just sat, frozen. She didn't even say hi.

"Stevie?" Lisa waved a hand in front of Stevie's face. No response. "Stevie, are you okay?"

Phil sighed and sat down next to Lisa.

"What's wrong with her?" Lisa asked. From the tone of her voice, he could tell she was scared.

"I don't know." He replied. "She's been like this all morning." He didn't mention last night for fear of freaking Lisa out.

"Yeah, we don't know what's wrong with her." Veronica piped up.

"Oh, hey Veronica. Hey, did you two spend the night here?" She questioned.

"Yeah, so?" Veronica scowled.

"Just curious." Lisa said. She returned her gaze to Stevie. "Stevie, are you okay?" She repeated.

Again, no response. As if Stevie wasn't there. "Oh."

Lisa looked at the ground. Phil had to do something to cheer her up again.

"So, Lisa, what exactly happened yesterday afternoon?" Phil asked hesitantly. He wasn't sure he wanted to know.

"Oh. That." Lisa took a deep breath before repeating what had happened.

When she was finished, Stevie started shaking. Veronica and Phil stood open mouthed. They were both equally stunned. Without warning, Stevie laid her head in her arms on the table and started sobbing again. Lisa got up quickly and rushed over to her.  
"Stevie, oh Stevie," She stood there for the longest time before Stevie finally got up. Her face was red, and her eyes were puffy. She looked miserable.

"Hi Lisa." She said. Lisa grabbed Stevie and pulled her into her arms. Stevie broke into a sob again and Lisa guided her back towards the couch. There, Stevie laid across Lisa's lap, sobbing and gasping. Phil watched all of this, mortified.

That was when Carole walked in. "Hey guys, how are you-" She froze when she saw Stevie sprawled out on Lisa's lap. Lisa put a finger to her mouth so Carole knew to be quiet. Carole brought her hand to her mouth. She was horrified. Stevie looked terrible.

"Oh my gosh," She ran out the doors. Phil ran after Carole.

"Carole, wait up!" Phil caught up to her and grabbed her arm. "Carole, how could you?" He looked her in the eyes.

"I-I don't know. I didn't mean to say such horrible things, and now!" She glanced back at the lounge area. "Oh she looks terrible, and it's all my fault!" She yanked her arm out of Phil's grasp.

"Is she okay?" She asked hopefully. Phil winced, and shook his head.

"She doesn't respond to anything. Movement, sound, it's like she frozen." He explained what happened last night. Carole took all this in.

"It's even worse than I thought! Oh, what have I done!?" She started to run off, but Phil stopped her.

"Just apologize to her Carole!" He motioned to the lounge.

"I don't think it will help." Veronica had approached them from behind. "She's too far gone."

"Who?" Phil asked, confused.

"Stevie you idiot!" Veronica rolled her eyes. "You've seen her! Something is wrong with her! She has changed!" Veronica continued. "She doesn't respond, she isn't eating, and all she does is cry!" Veronica turned to Carole. "Whatever you did, Stevie is never going to be the same person ever again."

With that, Veronica turned and walked into the lounge. Carole sighed. "She's right." She said at last.

"I don't think Stevie will ever want to see me again. And I couldn't blame her. I wouldn't want to see myself." Carole hung her head and walked off.

Phil sighed. Things couldn't get any worse, he thought. But he was wrong.


	4. Chapter 4: Mysterious Behavior

**Chapter Four: Mysterious Behavior**

Phil walked back into the lounge. Stevie had passed out across Lisa's lap. Lisa turned her head when Phil walked in.

"How did it go?" She asked.

"It was fine. Carole is really upset. She really wanted to apologize to Stevie, but Veronica didn't think it would help anything." Phil looked over at Veronica.

"What? It's true!" She said annoyed.

Phil ignored her and bent down and stroked Stevie's hair. Her eyes fluttered open.

"Hey Phil." She spoke quietly.

"Hey Stevie." He smiled. "Tired?"

"Yeah." Stevie smiled back at him and Phil was overjoyed. Lisa smiled too, and then looked at her watch.

"Lessons start in ten minutes, let's go tack up." She said quietly. Stevie nodded and got up. She was still dressed form yesterday, and so she and Lisa walked out of the lounge. As Lisa was shutting the door, she motioned for Phil to come along. Phil nodded, but had a few chores to do first.

Stevie and Lisa walked into the barn. Carole was with Starlight, but she paid no attention to them. Lisa was surprised to see Prancer already tacked up.

"How did this happen?" She asked Red as he walked by.

"Oh, I didn't want you to be late again so I tacked up for you. You can help Stevie if you want." Red motioned to Belle's stall.

"Okay, thanks Red!" Lisa smiled and guided Stevie towards Belle's stall. She stood while Lisa grabbed her bucket. "Come on, here Stevie." She handed Stevie the currycomb. "Why don't you start with that. I'll get her hooves!" Lisa bent over while Stevie brushed. About five minutes later, Belle was tacked up and groomed. Lisa handed Stevie the reins.

"Here you go! Would you mind stopping by Prancer's stall with me? We'll walk to the ring together!" Lisa said.

"Sure!" Stevie replied. She seemed to be in a much better mood, but she still wasn't herself.

Lisa and Stevie walked towards Prancer's stall. Prancer nickered to Belle as Lisa grabbed the reins. "Okay, lead the way!"

Stevie slowly walked Belle towards the ring. Carole was already mounted, and was warming up on the rail. Stevie placed her foot in her stirrup and hopped on. Lisa did the same. They warmed up on the rail together, but Carole wasn't with them.

"All right everyone, bring it in!" Red yelled from across the ring. Within a couple minutes, everyone was lined up in front of Red. "We're doing jumping today in practice for the show next Saturday. We only have a week and a half to practice, so let's make the best of it!" He numbered everyone off. "When I call your number, you'll enter the ring. You know the course. Everyone else may wait over on the rail by the gate." Red pointed at Lisa. "You're first!"

Lisa glanced at Stevie who was completely zoning out. She hoped Stevie had heard what Red said. Lisa was relieved when Stevie pulled Belle towards the gate. She had clearly been paying attention.

Stevie brought Belle to a halt near the gate. Carole was on one side of her, and Veronica the other. Veronica looked over at Carole who was watching Lisa. Stevie watched as Lisa cleared every jump perfectly.

"Way to go!" Carole cried as Lisa finished. Stevie remained silent.

"Nice one Lisa!" Red clapped. "But keep an eye on your diagonals; you were on the wrong one at jump 4."

"Oh, okay! Thanks Red!" Lisa said as she walked over to the gate. She brought Prancer to a halt next to Carole. Veronica was up next.

"Nice job Lisa." Carole said with a smile. Lisa nodded at looked over at Stevie. Stevie was watching Veronica, but seemed to be kind of zoning out as well.

Carole followed Lisa's gaze. "Is she alright?" She asked Lisa worriedly.

"Hmm?" Lisa snapped to attention. "Yeah, she's alright. It's just going to take some time."

Kristi clapped as Veronica finished, with only one pole knocked down. Veronica smiled and went to join her in waiting. Carole gripped Lisa's hand as Stevie approached the center. It was her turn. Lisa looked at her hand, and then at Carole.

"It'll be okay." She said with a smile. They returned to watching Stevie. Stevie had picked up a canter as her and Belle approached one of the jumps. Belle was on the wrong lead, but Stevie didn't seem to notice. They flew over the jump with ease, not hitting a single pole.

"Nice one!" Lisa called out. Carole almost said something, but figured it wouldn't be very appropriate of her. Considering how Stevie was feeling.

The rest of Stevie's jumps went alright. She only knocked down one pole, but her leads and diagonals were everywhere. She wasn't on the correct one once.

"Stevie, come here for a sec," Red called. He motioned for Carole to go ahead and jump. She gave a cluck and Starlight picked up a canter.

"Stevie, what's wrong with you?" Red asked. "First yesterday, now today! Is something wrong?" He looked up at Stevie but she didn't respond. Again, she was staring off into space.

"Stevie?" Red shook Stevie's leg gently. "Stevie, answer me!" But Stevie failed to do so. Instead, she gave Belle a squeeze and walked over toward Lisa. Carole had just finished her round perfectly. No mistakes at all.

Red turned to Carole. "Nice job! You're sure to place first in all the classes at the show!" He said with a smile. "And if you talk to Stevie, tell her to meet me in the office after the lesson. We need to have a talk." He said angrily.

"Um…..okay." Carole replied. She and Starlight walked over to Lisa and Prancer. She told Lisa what Red had told her. "Can you tell Stevie for me? I don't think she'll listen to me." Carole asked. Lisa frowned.

"No, you should do it! Red asked you, not me!" Lisa gave Carole a nudge with her fist. "Come on, you can do it!" Carole sighed and walked over to Stevie.

"Hey Stevie,"

"Hey Carole,"

"Um…." Carole held her tongue, unsure of what to say. "Red asked me to tell you that…..that he wants to talk to you?" Carole said hesitantly.

"Mmm, okay." Stevie replied. She didn't look at Carole once.

"Okay than, um….yeah." Carole sighed and walked back to Lisa.

"How did it go?" Lisa asked.

"It was fine, she didn't seem upset at all. But she didn't even turn her head when I spoke to her. It's like she's in a trance." Carole replied.

Lisa nodded. "She's been like that all morning." Red waved his hand signaling that the lesson was over. Everyone dismounted. Lisa and Carole walked over to join Stevie.

"Hey, I heard what Red said." Lisa told Stevie. "If you want us with you, just ask!"

"No. I'll be fine." Stevie replied. She turned to Carole. "Starlight looks good today. You two are definitely ready for the show." She smiled and walked off. Lisa and Carole turned to each other with wide eyes.

"She…..she didn't seem mad." Carole said excitedly. "Maybe she's okay now!"

Lisa frowned. "Hmm…I don't know if she's back to normal or not. But I know how we're going to find out." Lisa cupped her hand to Carole's ear. "Let's spy on her when she talks to Red! If she act normally, than she's fine!"

Carole smiled and nodded. "Okay, but what if she doesn't talk again?"

Lisa gulped. "Then we'll have some serious work to do." With that, she and Carole walked off to quickly groom. They had some spying to do!

Stevie approached Max's office. Max was gone, and Drew was out with students, so it would be just her and Red. She sighed, and slowly opened the door.

Red turned at the sound of the door. Stevie walked in and sat down without speaking.

"Thanks for joining me Stevie." Red said. Stevie continued staring across the room.

"Okay…um…I need to discuss your behavior with you." He scratched his head, uncertain of how to say it. "It's just….um….well, what you did today was extremely rude. I'm afraid I might have to cut you out of the show next weekend." Red looked up worriedly. But Stevie didn't respond. Outside the door, Carole and Lisa sighed.

"Stevie? Is something wrong?" Red asked. He sat down on the couch next to her. She didn't even turn around. "Stevie? Are you okay?" Red shook her gently.

"Hm?" She turned.

"Are you okay?" He repeated.

"Mmmm…." She sighed and turned away.

"Is that a yes? No?" Red asked impatiently. He was getting worried. Stevie never acted like this.

"Stevie, answer me!" He shook her harder, but she still didn't respond. Red sighed and got up and started pacing. Lisa decided it was a good time to, "Walk in casually", and she opened the door.

Red turned. "Lisa, I need your help." He gave a relieved sigh.

"Yes?" She asked, as if she didn't know she was needed. Carole snuck her a thumbs up from behind the window.

"There's something seriously wrong with Stevie." He pointed to the couch and Lisa sat down. She looked at Stevie.

"She seems fine to me." Lisa replied matter-o-factly.

"She won't answer me. And she didn't even look at me as I spoke. She's clearly not herself."

Lisa looked at Stevie again. "Stevie, are you okay?"

Stevie turned to Lisa. "Yeah, why?" She asked quietly.

Red clenched his hands into fists. He was a bit frustrated. "Are you sure?" He asked. Stevie turned to him.

"No." She replied casually.

Red got up and kneeled in front of her. "Stevie, what's wrong?" She looked down at him and closed her eyes. She than got up and walked over to the chair, where she sat down. Lisa sighed.

"We don't know Red. She's been like this all morning." Lisa replied.

Red sat down next to Lisa and she told him about what happened. Stevie started shaking again, and Lisa rushed over to her.

Red sat stunned. He thought the Saddle Club girls were friends, but apparently not anymore. "Stevie, I am so sorry. I didn't know."

Stevie turned to him. She had stopped shaking. "It's okay." She said quietly. Red got up and went over to her as she stood from the chair. "My mom's expecting me soon." She said. Then, without warning, she got up and walked out the door. Red and Lisa stood there, staring. After a few minutes, Red turned to Lisa.

"What should we do?" He asked. Lisa shrugged and walked out the door, leaving Red completely confused.

Carole joined Lisa as they walked out of the barn. "This is going to be hard." She said plainly. Lisa nodded in agreement.

"At least we have a while to work it out." Lisa pointed out. It _was _winter break and all. Carole smiled and they walked off to find their parents.

The next day was much better. At least, so Carole and Lisa thought at first. Stevie arrived with a smile and she ran over to meet Carole and Lisa. "Hey guys!" She said happily.

"Hey! How are you feeling today?" Lisa asked. "Much better I presume?"

"Uh huh," Stevie nodded and handed Lisa a bag. "Do you like peanut butter and jelly?" She asked hopefully.

Lisa cautiously took the bag. "Yeah, why?" She peered inside. It was Stevie's lunch.

"Cause' I don't want it." Stevie replied.

"But it's your lunch," Carole piped up as Lisa showed her the contents of the bag.

"Yeah, but I'm not hungry."

"But you might be hungry later!" Lisa replied, handing Stevie back her lunch.

"No. I won't." Stevie pushed the bag into Lisa's hands. "But thanks for asking!" She turned to Carole. "Hey, guess what?" She asked excitedly.

Carole cowered away. "What?" She asked nervously.

"IT'S GOING TO SNOW TODAY!" Stevie yelled happily. Carole jumped. She wasn't expecting _that _kind of response.

Lisa nodded slowly. "Yeah…..and?"

"And snow is wonderful!" Stevie said smiling. Lisa looked at Carole. Their eyes met and they clearly agreed on one thing. Stevie had changed for the better, but it honestly wasn't _much_ better. She'd gone from being in a trance, to now being overly peppy.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Carole asked hesitantly.

Stevie laughed, which creeped Carole and Lisa out. "Of course! I'm just so excited it's going to snow!" She smiled. "Aren't you?"

"Uh huh, yeah, we're so excited too!" Lisa replied. She was obviously lying, but Stevie didn't notice.

"Great! We'll all enjoy it together!"

Phil walked up to them. "Hey Stevie, how are you?" He asked.

"Great!" She replied smiling.

Phil shook his head. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. "That's….. great?" He replied.

"Yes it is!" Stevie ran up and hugged him. Phil tensed up. Something was clearly wrong. "Hey, guess what?" She asked him.

"What?" He replied.

"It's going to snow today!" She laughed and ran back over to Carole and Lisa.

"Um….sure," Phil looked at Carole and Lisa but they shrugged. Nobody knew what was going on. Red motioned to Stevie and Lisa from across the road. He wanted to talk to them again, in private.

Lisa grabbed Stevie's hand. "Let's go! Red wants us!" They ran across the road and into the office.

"What did you want Red?" Lisa asked.

"I just wanted to know how things were going." He motioned to Stevie who was staring intently at the coffee maker.

"Why don't you ask her for yourself." Lisa grabbed Stevie's arm and dragged her away from the coffee maker. Stevie gave a small sigh.

"Um, how are you today Stevie?" Red asked nervously.

"Very good and getting better!" She smiled and turned to Lisa. "Can we go back outside now?" She asked, glaring at the coffee maker from the corner of her eye.

Red stood open mouthed. He wasn't expecting her to be so joyful. "That's great Stevie! Glad to hear!" He said after a while.

"Hey Red, guess what?" Stevie asked excitedly. Lisa rolled her eyes.

"It's going to snow today!" Stevie yelled. She didn't even wait for a response. Lisa pulled Stevie towards the couch.

"You don't have to tell _everyone _it's going to snow!" Lisa whispered harshly.

"But everyone should know!" Stevie clapped happily. Lisa stood dumbfounded. She pushed Stevie onto the couch.

"Sit…..stay," Lisa said cautiously. Stevie watched her with curious eyes before returning to glare at the coffee maker. She let out a small growl. Lisa shook her head.

"Sorry about that Red." She said.

"Oh, it's fine." He was staring at Stevie as she watched the coffee maker. "What's wrong with her?" He asked. "She's acting like she's four!"

Lisa frowned. "I know, it's a bit creepy. But we don't know what's wrong with her. She's completely different than yesterday."

"Huh. I can see that." Red sighed. "Oh, look!" He glanced out the window. "It _is _snowing!"

Stevie suddenly got up and ran to the window. "SNOW!" She yelled. "What did I tell you?"

She grabbed Lisa's hand and dragged her out of the office and down the steps. They ran outside gleefully.

"Stevie, slow down!" Lisa cried.

Stevie stopped suddenly and held out her hand. A single snowflake landed in the center of her palm. Stevie gave a yelp of surprise, and her body shivered.

"Stevie?" Lisa asked cautiously.

Stevie froze and was staring at her hand. Her body shivered again. Then, without warning, Stevie collapsed onto the ground.


	5. Chapter 5: Normal at Last

**Chapter Five: Normal at Last**

Lisa rushed over to the limp figure sprawled across the snow. Carole and Phil had started to run over, and Red sprinted from the office. "Stevie?" Lisa asked worriedly.

Phil dropped to the ground beside Stevie. "Stevie! Stevie, say something!" He yelled. Stevie did not move. Phil grabbed her by the shoulders and laid her in his lap. Her eyes were closed, and her face was pale. Her arm hung limply at her side.

"What's wrong?" Red asked, as he paused to catch his breath. He glanced at Stevie.

"I don't know! She was catching snowflakes in her hand and all of a sudden she collapsed. I don't know what happened!" Lisa was on the verge of tears. Carole pat her on the shoulder.

"It's okay, it's not your fault." Carole whispered.

"Let's get her inside, she'll freeze out here." Red motioned to the office. Phil gently stood up and he and Red walked towards the office. Carole and Lisa followed. Once inside the office, Phil laid Stevie across the couch. Red grabbed a blanket from the cupboard and draped it over her.

"Will she be alright?" Lisa asked fearfully. A few tears had slid down her cheeks. Red scratched his head.

"I'm sure she'll be fine." He answered.

Phil kneeled on the ground next to Carole and Lisa. They were all up against the couch, waiting.

Drew burst in the room. "What's wrong?!" He asked impatiently. "I saw what happened from the ring, is everything alright?"

"No, something's really wrong with Stevie, we don't know what." Red replied.

Lisa gave a sad whimper and leaned into Carole. Carole gave Red a glare. He threw his hands in the air innocently.

Drew looked over at Stevie. "Do we need to call an ambulance?" He asked.

"No, I think we'll be alright." Phil replied. His face was almost as pale as Stevie's.

Red rested a hand on Phil's shoulder. "I'm sorry."

"It's fine." Phil angrily swat Red's hand away. "She'll be fine." He snapped.

Red glanced at Carole. She shrugged and motioned to the door. Red nodded.

"Alright, um….we'll let you have your space." Red escorted everyone out the door. Before he shut the door, he turned.

Phil had rested his head on the couch next to Stevie. He was clearly upset. Red thought about saying something, but he didn't want Phil to snap at him again. He closed the door quietly, and they left. Well, Carole and Lisa spied from outside the window again, but Drew and Red left.

Inside…..

"Stevie, why you?" Phil asked. "Why did it have to be you?" He cried. Tears rolled down his cheeks and onto the blanket. He gingerly grabbed Stevie's hand. It was cold, and pale. Phil gently stroked her hair. She didn't stir, her eyes remained closed.

After about ten minutes, Phil got up and walked over to the coffee maker. Without thinking, he picked it up and threw it on the floor. The glass smashed into a bunch of little pieces on the floor. Phil didn't bother to pick them up. Instead, he walked back over to the couch. He sat at the base of the couch, near Stevie's feet. The room was quiet; all that could be heard was the quiet breathing of Stevie, and the snuffling from Phil. Lisa and Carole watched.

Lisa was trying not to cry, and Carole was attempting to comfort her. They watched, waiting for a sign of movement. Eventually Drew had to get into the office to do some work. He offered to move Stevie to the lounge, but Phil shook his head.

"I'll do it." He said quietly. Carole and Lisa hid, as to not be seen, and watched as Phil carried Stevie towards the lounge. After about five minutes, Carole and Lisa followed him. This time however, they went inside and sat on the chairs across from the couch.

"How is she?" Carole asked Phil.

"The same." He replied, still watching Stevie.

They sat for another ten minutes, staring, and waiting.

Phil got up and walked into the kitchen. He had his hands over his eyes. Lisa glanced at Carole worriedly, but Carole was watching Stevie intently.

Lisa followed her gaze. They sat for a few minutes when Stevie's eyes fluttered open.

"Errrrrr, where am I?" Stevie groaned as she sat up.

"Stevie!" Lisa ran forward and hugged Stevie.

"Whoa, Lisa! Stop it! You're choking me!" Stevie coughed.

Carole smiled and motioned to Phil.

Phil walked over slowly. "Stevie?"

"Hmm?" Stevie turned. "Oh hey Phil, good to see you're still around."

Phil ran over and kneeled in front of the couch. He was crying, but they were happy tears.

Stevie smiled and looked around. "Whoa, have I been in the lounge for…._two days?_" She shrieked.

Lisa glanced at Phil, worried. "Um….no, do you not remember?"

"Remember what?" Stevie asked hesitantly. "What happened?"

"You've been acting weird for almost two days now. You don't remember any of it?" Lisa asked. She was a little scared.

"No. I don't." Stevie looked around. "All I remember is grooming Belle, and then talking to Veronica. Then I came to the lounge and laid here on the couch. Phil came in, we talked and I fell asleep. Everything else is blank. Oh, but I remember something about snow….." She looked around. "What did I do for two days?"

Phil scratched his head. "Um….you don't want to know." He said quietly.

Stevie raised her eyebrow. "Uh, no, I think I _do _want to know!" She looked at Lisa, expecting an answer.

Lisa explained everything. When she was finished, Stevie was laughing. Lisa looked at Phil, but he shrugged.

"Oh, my, gosh!" Stevie laughed. "I can't believe I did that!"

Lisa frowned. "You really had us worried!" She said truthfully. "We were really scared!"

Stevie stopped laughing. "Why don't I remember any of this?" She asked. Fear had crept into her voice.

"I don't know." Carole piped up.

Everything went quiet. Stevie stared at Carole for a minute before turning away. She slowly got up. Phil shot up and grabbed Stevie's shoulder.

"I'm fine, thanks Phil." Stevie said as she walked towards the door.

"Wait! Stevie!" Carole cried. Stevie froze, and turned around slowly. "I need to talk to you!"

"Oh, so _now _the expert jumper wants to talk." Stevie snapped. She had clearly returned to normal.

"I need to apologize!" Carole said. She got up and walked over to Stevie. "I'm so, so, so, sorry for how I acted. I didn't mean it! Everything I said was untrue. I am not the best rider at Pine Hollow. We are _all, _the best!" She said with a smile. Stevie remained silent for a minute.

"Sorry Carole, but I'm not sure I can forgive you so easily this time." She said. Lisa walked over to them.

"Please Stevie? She didn't mean it!" Lisa said. "We are the Saddle Club! We need to stick together!"

Stevie frowned. "Well, you should have thought of that before you followed me on the trail." Stevie said. "All it did was make things worse." And with that, Stevie walked out the door. Phil followed her, throwing Lisa a sympathetic look.

She shrugged and turned to Carole, who was almost in tears.

"I'm sorry Carole." Lisa laid a hand on Carole's shoulder.

"No, it's my fault." Carole turned away. "I shouldn't have expected things to be alright between us so easily. I should have known better." She turned and walked over to the kitchen. "Soda?"

Lisa smiled and joined Carole.

Meanwhile…

Stevie walked towards the barn. Phil ran after her.

"Stevie! Stevie wait up!" He caught up to her quickly. "Stevie, why couldn't you forgive Carole?" He asked.

"Because, it didn't feel right to me. I'm not ready to be friends with her again." Stevie said plainly.

Phil sighed. "All right, just don't make Lisa and I miserable because you two can't get along!"

Stevie chuckled. "I'll try not to." She stopped and looked at the ground. "Sorry Phil."

"Sorry for what?" He asked.

"Sorry for making you worry. Lisa told me about everything you did…..and….I'm so sorry." Tears welled in her eyes.

"Hey there, it's okay!" Phil put and arm around her. "I know you didn't mean to. I shouldn't have worried so much. I just got a little freaked out." He said calmly.

Stevie turned and hugged Phil. "I'm glad to have someone like you as my friend." She whispered in his ear.

Phil gulped, and asked her a long awaited question. "Did you mean what you said that night in the lounge?" He asked.

Stevie stepped away. She smiled. "Of course I did!" She laughed. Phil let out a breath he didn't know he was holding and grabbed Stevie's hand. Together, they walked towards the barn.

"Hey Stevie," Phil turned to her as they walked.

"Yes?" Stevie asked.

"Um….would you…..would you…." He stuttered, unsure of what to say.

"Would I what?" Stevie raised her eyebrow. "Spit it out!"

Phil took a deep breath. "Wouldyouliketogowithmeonatra ilrideinthesnownextweek?" He asked quickly.

"Um…what?" Stevie asked. "English please!" She cried. "Somebody! I need a translator!"

"Stop it!" Phil playfully nudged Stevie with his fist. He took another breath. 'Would you like to go with me on a trail ride in the snow next week?" He asked, slower this time.

Stevie smiled. "Sure!" She replied. "I love taking trail rides in the snow!"

"Cool! I was thinking we could go out by the lake, and by the old barn where you guys hid Prancer that one time!" He said excitedly.

Stevie sighed. "That was such a brilliant plan." She looked off, as if remembering the event like it happened yesterday.

"Yes, it was, until you got caught." Phil smiled.

Stevie stuck out her tongue at Phil. "Yeah, yeah, I know. But it was still a great plan. We just…..um…..didn't work out all the kinks!"

"Uh huh, sure." Phil rolled his eyes dramatically. Stevie gave him a playful punch. Phil raised his hands in defeat.

"Okay! I get it!" He laughed. "Hey, if you get Belle saddled up, I'll get Teddy! We can go on a miniature trail ride! I could get Lisa and Carole to come too!"

Stevie scowled at the mention of Carole's name, but otherwise seemed to agree. As she ran towards the barn, she looked back at Phil. "Just couldn't wait till' next week could you?"

Phil smiled and watched as she ran off into the barn. He was overjoyed everything was back to normal. At least, that's what he thought.

Stevie ran into the barn. Prancer whinnied at her as she ran past her stall. She finally arrived at Belle's stall. Stevie grabbed her bucket and slid open the stall door. She walked in and started brushing down Belle quickly.

Veronica walked by with Garnet; she had a private lesson soon. As she walked by, she glanced at Belle. She was surprised to see someone in there grooming.

"Phil? Is that you?" She asked, guessing.

"Huh? Phil? Why would you think that?" Stevie appeared from behind the black mare. "Veronica, do you need glasses?"

Veronica stood, stunned. The last time she had seen Stevie was at the lesson the other day. And Stevie certainly wasn't herself back then.

"You-you're-what?" Veronica stuttered. Stevie glanced at her watch.

"Hurry up Veronica! Your lessons start soon!" Stevie motioned to the ring. "You wouldn't want to be late, would you?"

"Huh?" Veronica was speechless, but she obeyed and led Garnet out of the barn, still pondering over what she had witnessed.

About ten minutes later, Stevie walked Belle out of the barn. Phil and Lisa were waiting.

"Hey guys!" Stevie smiled.

"Hey Stevie! Can I just tell you how glad I am to see you're alright!" Lisa said joyfully.

"I'm glad too, though, probably not as much as you. I didn't even remember what had happened!" Stevie laughed. She started walking towards the trail head.

"Wait Stevie! Carole's coming too!" Lisa called. Stevie brought Belle to a halt.

"Oh. Okay!" Stevie replied with false happiness. She turned Belle back around as Carole and Starlight walked out of the barn.

"Hey guys, thanks for waiting." Carole said.

"That's what friends are for!" Lisa said cheerfully. Stevie rolled her eyes.

"Come on! Let's get going! It gets dark earlier now, remember!" Stevie reminded them.

"Oh yeah!" Phil shook his head. He had forgotten about that. "So what trail are we doing?" He asked.

"Well, I was thinking the trail to the marsh. There's a really good picnic spot on the way!" Lisa replied. "I even brought sandwiches!" She pulled out a small sack.

"Cool! Marsh trail it is!" Carole said.

"Okay! Lisa, since it was your idea, how about you lead the way?" Stevie suggested. Lisa smiled and nodded. She asked Prancer for a walk, and they walked off along the marsh trail. Carole followed close behind, and Stevie and Phil brought up the rear. Red, who was teaching lessons from the arena watched as they went. He thought he saw Belle with them, but assumed he was just hallucinating. Stevie was in the lounge! He reminded himself.

Out on the trail….

"So, Stevie, how are you feeling?" Phil asked.

"Actually, I feel fine!" Stevie replied happily. "I'm glad to be out with my friends…" She trailed off as she looked around at the trees. Phil was glad to see her okay.

They approached the picnic spot at 4:30 PM. The sun was already setting behind the hills. Everyone dismounted and the horses grazed on the little grass left alive. Phil laid out a blanket he had brought, and they all sat down.

"Okay, I have peanut butter and jelly! Who wants one?" Lisa called.

Everyone but Stevie raised their hands eagerly.

"Stevie, do you want one?" Lisa asked.

"No thanks, I'm not hungry." She replied.

Lisa cocked her head a bit before handing out the sandwiches. She was a bit concerned. Stevie hadn't eaten anything since yesterday morning, and all she had then was one bite of toast!

They ate and talked for half an hour before it started to get dark. They cleaned everything up and headed back. When they arrived back at Pine Hollow they were all laughing. Over all, they had a pretty great time. Red approached them as they walked back into the stables. He gasped a little as he saw Stevie lead Belle into her stall. Red walked over to Lisa.

"Hey, um, what's with Stevie?" He asked impatiently.

"Oh! She's fine now! All back to normal!" Lisa smiled. Then she frowned, remembering something.

"What?" Red asked. "What's wrong?"

"Oh….well…..um….you see…." Lisa looked for what to say.

"What? What is it Lisa?" Red asked impatiently.

"She's fine! She just…hasn't eaten in a long time…" Lisa looked away.

"How long?" Red asked, grabbing Lisa's shoulders. "How long has it been?!"

"Two days." Lisa let out a whimper. Red let go of her.

"Sorry, I guess I just got worried." Red looked away.

"It's okay. I'm worried too. She needs to eat _something._" Lisa thought for a moment. "Oh! I know! We'll stop at JB's tomorrow morning on our way here! She loves their milkshakes!" Lisa said excitedly.

"Good idea. Let me know tomorrow if she didn't eat anything. I'll discuss it with her if it's a problem." Red pat Lisa's shoulder.

"Okay. But please don't be too rough with her! She's just got over her…um…..mental tragedy." Lisa reminded him.

"Of course, I won't be too hard. Don't worry." Red guided Lisa towards the door. "Your mother's waiting for you."

Lisa looked outside. Her mother's car had pulled up. Stevie and Carole appeared to have already left, and she saw Phil leading Teddy into the trailer. Everybody was going home.

Lisa waved goodbye to Red as she got in her mother's car. She looked out the window the whole way home. Her finger's crossed for the next morning.


	6. Chapter 6: Pros and Cons

**Chapter Six: Pros and Cons, but mostly Cons**

Lisa sat in the front seat next to her mom. Carole and Stevie were in the back. Lisa's mom had agreed to pick up Carole and Stevie and drop them off at JB's for a while before driving them to Pine Hollow for the day.

Lisa looked back at the other two members of the Saddle Club. Stevie had crossed her arms and was turned away from Carole, staring out the window. Carole had leaned back in the seat and was also looking out the window. Neither girl was talking.

"Hey! We're here!" Lisa said excitedly.

As soon as the car pulled to a stop Stevie jumped out of the car. She obviously wanted to get as far away from Carole as fast as she could.

"Now remember, I'm coming to pick you up in twenty-five minutes. Have fun girls!" Lisa's mom waved as the girls ran into the diner.

"How about over here?" Carole suggested, pointing towards a nearby booth.

"Okay! Is that alright with you Stevie?" Lisa asked.

"Hm? Oh, yeah, of course." Stevie put on a smile as they sat down. Scooter came over to them to take their order.

"I'll have a chocolate milkshake please Scooter!" Carole said excitedly.

"And I'll have the strawberry!" Lisa said as well.

"Alright, one chocolate and one strawberry milkshake! Can I get you anything else girls?" Scooter asked. They all turned to Stevie.

"What?" She asked.

"Your order?" Scooter questioned.

"Oh! Nothing for me, thank you." Stevie replied. Scooter stared at her for a moment before shaking his head. He left a few seconds later.

"Are you sure Stevie?" Carole asked worriedly.

"Yeah! I'm not hungry." Stevie said casually.

"Come on Stevie! How long has it been since you've eaten something?" Lisa looked Stevie in the eye. "You _have _to eat sometime!"

Stevie drummed her fingers on the table, thinking. "I have no _idea_ when I last ate something." She said truthfully. "But I'm not hungry! And I'm fine!"

"But we're worried about you!" Lisa cried. "You haven't eaten anything in three days!"

"So?" Stevie questioned angrily.

"So! You _need _to eat something!" Carole demanded.

Stevie got up. "You can't make me." She looked both of them in the eye. "I'm _fine. _What's the big deal?"

Lisa looked at the ground, leaving Carole to answer.

"We just want to make sure you're okay." She said calmly.

Stevie sat back down. "Well I am. So please stop bugging me about it."

"Okay. We won't." Lisa said. "We promise."

Stevie gave a sigh of relief. A few moments later, Scooter came by with their order.

"One chocolate milkshake for you!" He slid it across the table to Carole.

"And one strawberry for you!" Scooter handed Lisa her milkshake. "Are you sure I can't get you anything Stevie?" He asked.

Stevie turned away and refused to answer.

"Um…we're good." Lisa said quietly. Scooter just nodded and walked off to deliver another order.

The girls talked for a while. They talked about horses, and how they were so glad they didn't have school for a while. After a while, Lisa leaned against the chair and pushed her half-eaten milkshake away.

"I'm done!" She said yawning.

"Me too." Carole said, taking one last sip. "Are you sure you don't want anything Stevie?"

Stevie shook her head. "Nope. I'm fine!" She replied. Carole shrugged and they got up to leave. Stevie laid her money on the table as Lisa was digging in her purse.

"Wait! Stevie, _I'll _pay for it!" Lisa laughed. "You didn't even eat anything! It's not right that you'd pay!"

Stevie grabbed Lisa and Carole's arms and pulled them away. "Nah, it's fine!" She said honestly. "I don't mind! Now come on! Your mom's here!" They ran out the door and hopped in Lisa's mom's car.

"How'd it go girls?" Her mom asked.

"It was great!" Stevie replied. Carole looked at her strange. She thought it was great, but she didn't even get anything? That didn't sound like her at all. Carole figured Stevie was just being polite, but that wasn't like her either.

"Yeah, thanks mom!" Lisa smiled.

"Oh, no problem!" Lisa talked with her mom the rest of the way. Carole and Stevie continued not talking, and both stared out the windows.

"We're here!" Lisa said excitedly. Everyone got out quickly. They thanked Lisa's mom, and ran into the barn. Red motioned Lisa over.

"I'll be right back girls! I've got to use the restroom!" She lied.

"Oh Lisa! Why didn't you go at JB's?" Carole laughed.

Lisa shrugged and ran off. Carole and Stevie looked at each other for a moment before separating. They went to their horse's stalls.

Meanwhile….

"So how'd it go?" Red asked.

"Oh it was fun! We talked about school, and horses, and-"

Red cut Lisa off. "No, I mean…..about Stevie," He said. "How'd it go?"

Lisa sighed and Red groaned.

"She didn't eat anything, and when we tried to get her to eat something, she got mad at us." Lisa explained. "I don't know _what's _wrong. She's not still sick is she?"

"Huh. I don't know. Thanks for telling me Lisa. I knew I could count on you." Red turned around and buried his head in his hands. He was obviously frustrated. Lisa took this as a good moment to leave.

She met up with Stevie and Carole. They had already saddled up Belle and Starlight, and they even managed to do Prancer.

"Wow! Thanks guys!" Lisa smiled.

"Oh, no problem! With the two of us, it didn't take very long!" Stevie said casually. Lisa grinned. She was so glad they had managed to work together to do something, without arguing! Maybe they were close to becoming friends again! Lisa didn't get her hopes up, she still was unsure.

"Hey Stevie, can you come here a sec?" Red called from the office.

"Sure! I'll be there in a minute!" Stevie called back. She turned to Carole and Lisa. "Wonder what that's about?" Lisa shrugged nervously.

"Who knows?" She said, her voice trembled, but Stevie didn't notice.

"Oh well, I'll be back in a minute! Do you mind waiting?" Stevie asked.

Carole and Lisa both shook their heads, and Stevie ran off to talk to Red.

"Yes?" She asked as she entered the office. "What is it you wanted me for?"

Red sighed and motioned to the couch. Stevie sat down. "We need to have a talk." He said.

Stevie groaned. Red raised his eyebrows and continued talking. "Lisa, Carole, Phil, and myself have discovered a change in your eating habits. Are you feeling okay?" He asked.

Stevie rolled her eyes. "You too?!" She shrieked. "I can't believe you! Why is it so important?" She asked.

"Because! You need food to survive! Why won't you eat anything? Are you sick?" Red demanded.

"NO! I told you, I'm just not hungry!" Stevie yelled.

"But you need to eat something!" Red pleaded.

Stevie gave an angry sigh. "You can't make me do anything." She said quietly.

"I will if I have to!" Red yelled. Stevie got up from the couch. "Sit down! We're not finished!"

Stevie shook her head. "I don't have to."

Red gasped. "But I told you to!" He motioned to the couch. "Please, sit down!"

"No."

Red clenched his fists. "Sit-Down- Now." He said, his voice full of rage.

"No, I don't have to! What if I prefer standing?" Stevie cried. She turned to leave.

"Don't make me-" Red placed a firm hand on Stevie's shoulder. Big mistake. Stevie swung around quickly and landed a firm punch on Red's left cheek. Red recoiled in a hiss of anger.

"What was that for?" He yelled, his cheek turning red. He did have to admit though; it was a really good punch.

Stevie looked down at her hands open mouthed. She looked at Red. "I'm so sorry, I-" She gave a whimper and ran out the door.

"Stevie come back!" Red ran after her but she was too fast. She ran over to Belle, spooking Carole and Lisa.

"Hey, how'd it go?" Lisa asked. Stevie ignored her and hopped on Belle. With a kick, Stevie was off, galloping towards the pasture. Lisa and Carole looked at each other, and then at Red, who was walking over to them.

His cheek was slowly turning purple. It stung horribly.

"Oh my gosh, Red, what happened?" Lisa cried.

He sighed. "I…..may have lost my temper with Stevie….and… I may have accidentally tried to force her to do something…." He sighed again.

"Stevie did this?" Carole asked hesitantly.

"Yeah." Red looked away. Carole suppressed a laugh.

"Whoa, I had _no _idea she could do that!" Lisa gasped. "Did she _punch _you?"

Red nodded and told them what had happened. Lisa rolled her eyes.

"Oh, well _now _I see. You sooo deserved that." She turned to Carole who nodded.

"Yeah, no offense Red, but I thought you knew better!" Carole laughed.

Red shook his head with a sigh, and gingerly held up a hand to his cheek. "Man, she has a strong arm." He mumbled.

Lisa and Carole laughed as they mounted. They gave their horses a kick, and cantered off in the direction they saw Stevie headed. They needed to talk.

Meanwhile…

Stevie grasped Belle's mane as they approached the paddock fence. It was a smaller fence though, nothing like what they did in lessons, and Belle glided over it with ease. There weren't any horses in the pasture because it was an extra, and hadn't been taken care of for months. The grass was tall and dead, and weeds sprouted up all over the place. Also, the pasture was really large, and it took forever to catch and find all the horses when you needed them.

"Whoa girl! Easy," Stevie soothed. Belle slowed to a trot, and then a walk. They walked along the fence slowly. Stevie wasn't really upset, Red _had _deserved what he got for treating her like that. She just needed some alone time. She pulled Belle off the rail and they picked up a canter. Belle leaped over a fallen log as Stevie lead her towards it. There were several fallen logs, crevices, and rocks that made good jumps in this paddock.

Stevie smiled as she enjoyed some time to herself. She enjoyed jumping, and was glad no one was there to judge her, and nothing to worry about. Or so she thought.

Carole and Lisa slowed their horses as they approached the pasture. They saw Stevie and Belle cantering around, jumping over objects. Several times Stevie would start near a huge rocky structure, and go over jumps as if she was doing a course.

Lisa and Carole watched from the trees. They didn't want to interrupt Stevie's practice, and they could tell she was having fun on her own. They just wanted to watch and make sure everything went okay. Especially after the way Stevie had been acting for the last few days.

"She looks like she's just having fun," Lisa noted.

Carole turned to her. "Yeah, I guess, but we sure stay and make sure nothing happens. They suddenly heard a shriek, which was followed by a loud neigh.

"Stevie!" Lisa gave Prancer a kick and they galloped off towards the pasture. Carole followed close behind. They swerved in the road and jumped the fence one at a time. Belle was rearing over by the rocky structure.

"Belle! Belle, stop it!" Stevie cried. She was relieved when she saw Carole and Lisa galloping towards them. She was also a bit suspicious. How had they gotten here so fast, when she'd only just screamed? She pushed that thought aside and brought Belle to stand. She backed her away from the cliff.

"Easy girl!" Stevie leaned forward and pat Belle on the neck.

"Stevie! Stevie, what happened?" Lisa called as they approached them.

"I don't know! I was going to start another round of jumps when Belle freaked out. I don't know what was wrong." Stevie let her breathing slow.

"Huh. That's unlike Belle." Carole observed.

"Yeah, I know. Hey, how did you get here so fast?" Stevie questioned, although she had already suspected the answer.

Carole turned to Lisa who was turning red. "We um….we were in the area." She lied. Well, only partially lied, they _were _in the area after all, but they were also spying.

Stevie shrugged. She obviously didn't care. "Okay. I'm just glad you're here. Want to jump a couple rounds with me?" Stevie asked. "It's good practice for cross-country at the show next week! If you can jump on hills and rocks, than you can do it in a soft, flat arena!" Stevie mentioned.

Lisa nodded. "Okay! Sounds like fun!" She turned to Carole who nodded as well.

"Great! I'll start, so I can show you the course!" Stevie led Belle back towards the rock. Suddenly, Belle gave a snort and shied away.

"Belle, what's wrong with you?" Stevie asked, pushing Belle towards the rock. "Come on!"

Belle obeyed, finally, but was still a bit nervous. "Sorry about that!" Stevie called to the girls. They shrugged. Stevie turned Belle towards the first jump. She gave her a cluck, but Belle did not move. Already agitated, Stevie gave Belle a large thump with her legs. Belle shrieked and reared up. Stevie grabbed Belle's mane quickly.

Lisa started to walk Prancer forward, but Stevie stopped her. "It's fine! I think I kicked too hard! She's not used to that!" Stevie called. Lisa shook her head.

Stevie tried again. "Come on Belle! We can do it!" She gave Belle one final cue. Belle stood, frozen.

"Hey Stevie, maybe she's tired! Why don't you try to show us the course instead? Let her have a break!" Carole yelled from across the field.

"Hmm….okay!" Stevie tried to turn Belle towards Carole and Lisa, but she refused to do so. Instead, she carefully lifted her head as to scent danger. Stevie realized what she was doing, but it was too late.

With a nasty snarl, a lone wild dog burst from underneath the rock formation. Belle gave a whinny and reared up again. Stevie, unprepared for this, slid from her horse and onto the ground, five feet from the dog.

"Stevie!" Lisa yelled.

She started to back up but Carole stopped her. "Don't make any sudden moves Stevie! Otherwise it'll attack you!" She called. "Just stay there, and move _very _slowly!"

Stevie got up shakily. She moved slow, like Carole had said. The dog stared first at her, and then at her horse.. Belle was rearing and kicking in a frenzy of fear, but didn't land one hoof on the dog. She looked like she was having a fit.

"Nice doggy, _nice _doggy…" Stevie soothed. The dog let out a deep growl. "Or not nice doggy, whatever works best for you!" Stevie said sarcastically.

Lisa and Carole were slowly walking towards the dog. Starlight gave a nervous whinny, but otherwise was fine. Stevie backed away slowly.

The dog growled again, saliva dripping from its exposed fangs. It took a step forward. Suddenly a bird hiding in the grass flew up about a foot away from Stevie. She shrieked and jumped backwards quickly. The dog gave a low bark. Then, it charged.

Stevie ran as fast as she could, but the dog was gaining on her. She turned around and jumped ahead as it snapped at her heels. She screamed, although it wasn't going to help anything.

Suddenly Stevie felt her foot get caught. She looked down to see it was one of the crevices. One she had spent so much time jumping over again and again. She felt her foot get twisted as she fell to the ground. Wincing in pain, she tried to get up but the dog was on top of her. Snarling and barking, it snapped at her neck. Stevie screamed as it bit through her skin, and clawed at her arms. She felt its hot breath, and the gooey saliva dripping onto her back. Black dots danced in front of Stevie's eyes. The pain was almost unbearable, until she was rescued. Belle came galloping over in an instant. She pawed in the air and landed a few strikes on the dog, careful not to hit Stevie in the process. By now Carole and Lisa were running over on foot.

The dog let out a whine and retreated from Stevie. It ran, tail tucked between its legs, as Belle chased it out of the pasture. With a satisfied snort, she returned to Stevie. Stevie rolled over onto her back, groaning in pain. The last thing she saw was Belle's muzzle, before everything went black.


	7. Chapter 7: Getting Better

**Chapter Seven: Getting Better**

Stevie awoke a few minutes later to Carole and Lisa's worried faces.

"Stevie! Are you alright?" Lisa asked, concerned.

Stevie groaned and tried to sit up. She immediately felt a wave of dizziness overcome her and she laid back down again.

"Stevie?" Lisa repeated.

"What? Yeah, I'm fine." Stevie replied.

Carole looked at her funny. "Are you sure?"

Stevie closed her eyes for a second before answering. "No."

Lisa leaned forward and helped Stevie sit up. She winced at the pain in her neck.

"Thanks Lisa, I don't know what I'd do without you guys." Stevie said. Tears welled in her eyes; from the pain, exhaustion, or the emotions, she didn't know. Probably all three.

"Oh, don't worry. It's okay." Lisa soothed, patting Stevie's leg.

"I know, but seriously. What would I have done if you hadn't been spying on me? Yes, I know that's what you were doing." Stevie smirked.

Lisa and Carole exchanged guilty looks.

"I'm so glad to have you guys as my friends!" Stevie leaned forward and hugged Lisa. Carole sat, watching awkwardly.

Stevie glanced at her. "You too Carole! You're my friend too!" Stevie laughed.

"Really? You'll forgive me?" Carole asked.

"Of course! I forgave you when you came to my aid earlier. I couldn't have a better group of friends!" Stevie said gratefully.

Carole gave a sigh of relief and she joined in the hug, accidentally putting her arm around Stevie's neck.

"Ow!" Stevie pulled back immediately, rubbing her neck.

"Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry!" Carole cried.

"It's fine, just a little sore." Stevie pulled her hand away and started to wipe it on her pants, but Lisa grabbed it first.

"Stevie! You are _not _fine!" She yelped.

Stevie's hand was red. Lisa crawled over and sat behind Stevie, pulling her hair away. She gasped as the back of her neck was revealed. It was covered in scrapes and cuts, most of them decently deep. The skin was torn, and blood oozed from every cut. It dripped down her back and onto her shirt.

"Carole, come here!" Lisa motioned to Carole. Carole put a hand over her mouth when she saw.

"Stevie, we need to get you back to Pine Hollow before this gets infected." She had also noticed a few scrapes on Stevie's arms, but they weren't that bad.

Stevie sighed. "Okay. Here, let me get up." Stevie groaned as she heaved herself to her feet. Careful of her right foot, the one that had gotten caught, she stood.

"Come on, let's go." Carole started to walk towards the horses who had crowded together and were munching on the grass.

Stevie took a step forward and her ankle gave way. She collapsed onto the ground. She closed her eyes and winced at the pain that jolted through her leg. Stevie bit her lip to keep from crying out in pain.

"Stevie!" Lisa rushed over. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, fine." Stevie said as she brushed herself off. "Just tripped." She got back up shakily. Lisa was right behind her. She stood there, unsure of what to do.

"Go ahead Stevie, we need to get back." Lisa gave Stevie a gentle nudge.

Stevie gulped nervously, she didn't want anything to be wrong with her ankle. She took another step forward, and fell again. This time though, she couldn't help but cry out as her foot his the ground.

Lisa went to her knew next to Stevie. "Tripped?" She smirked.

Stevie stuck her tongue out at her. "Yeah, yeah, I know, I was just a bit worried." Stevie sat up, cringing at the harsh pain.

By now, Carole had come back over. "What's wrong?" She asked.

"Oh, nothing, it's fine." Stevie replied, much to Lisa's dismay.

"No! It's not fine!" Lisa cried. "Stevie's busted her ankle! She can't walk!"

Carole turned to Stevie. "Is this true?" Stevie nodded sheepishly. Carole sighed. "It's okay, don't be embarrassed. It wasn't your fault! Come here!" Carole grabbed Stevie's hand and helped her up. She stood, leaning on Lisa.

"I'll lead Starlight and Prancer." Carole explained. "Belle will follow you, right Stevie?" Stevie nodded. "Lisa, you help Stevie. We'll walk home." Lisa gave a quick nod and took a few slow steps forward. Stevie leaned on her and followed.

Together, they walked home, Stevie limping, Carole leading two horses, and Belle following with no human guidance. They would have quite a story to tell when they got back.

Later…

About thirty minutes later they arrived at the stables. Red was busy mucking out stalls, but Drew was giving Veronica a private lesson in the arena. He immediately noticed something was wrong when he saw Stevie leaning on Lisa, and Belle leading herself.

"I'm afraid we'll have to take a short break Veronica. If things are too bad, we might have to reschedule this lesson for tomorrow." Drew said to Veronica. patting Garnet on the shoulder.

"What? We've had this lesson planned for weeks! You can't reschedule it now! Not when we're halfway through a lesson!" Veronica shrieked. Drew glared at her.

"I'm sorry, but I have much more important matters to attend to right now." Drew motioned to the Saddle Club girls and Veronica growled.

"Fine." She dismounted Garnet and left him in the arena, untied. "But since it is _my _lesson, I get to come with you." She smirked.

Drew sighed but didn't argue. "Fine. Hurry up." He ran out the arena and towards the Saddle Club.

"GIRLS!" He called as he approached them. "Girls, what happened?" He looked between the three of them. Finally, it was Stevie who told the story.

"Well…me and Red had a disagreement earlier and I ended up running off to be alone. I just went to that large pasture, the one we aren't using." Stevie started. Drew nodded, clearly knowing the place. Veronica sighed impatiently.

"I was just riding around, jumping over obstacles. You know the rock formation in the middle of the pasture?" Stevie asked.

"Yes, I do." Drew replied.

"Well, I was leading Belle towards it when she started rearing up. I screamed and Carole and Lisa, who were spying on me, came into the pasture too. We were going to jump the course when Belle started rearing again. I ended up deciding to let Lisa go first, but Belle wouldn't turn away when I asked her to." Stevie gave a cough as Veronica made a face at them. Drew glared at her and she stopped.

"Anyways, then a lone wild dog ran out from under the rock. I wasn't prepared, and so when Belle reared I fell off and-"

"Is that how you apparently 'hurt' your foot?" Veronica interrupted, sarcasm oozing from her voice.

"Hah, I wish!" Stevie smiled. "But no. Carole told me to stand still, and so I did. The dog was only five feet away. Then a bird flew up from the grass, and I got scared and jumped backwards."

"The dog chased after me. I was running away when my foot got caught in a crevice, and I tripped. _That _was how I hurt my foot." Stevie said, throwing a look towards Veronica. Drew saw it, but did nothing to stop it.

"Go on," He said patiently.

"Then…..then the…then the dog….." Stevie stuttered. She clearly didn't want to relive the moment.

"The dog attacked her while she was on her back. It bit and clawed her neck hoping to….you know…." Carole said.

"Yeah. Then Belle ran over and saved Stevie by kicking the dog away. She chased it out of the pasture, but I don't know if it's truly gone for good." Lisa finished.

Drew looked at Belle amazed. She clearly loved Stevie a lot.

"Hah, you expect us to believe that story?" Veronica spat. "It's pathetic!"

Drew started to say something but Stevie turned around and pulled her hair off her neck, showing it to Veronica.

"Do you believe that?" Stevie said angrily. Veronica put a hand over her mouth in disgust and horror.

"Umm…well…" Veronica turned away.

Drew gave a small gasp of surprise. He hadn't been expecting _that. _

"What about your leg? Is it _really _broken?" She said quickly, wanting to prove the girls wrong.

"Oh I hope not!" Stevie laughed. "If anything it's just sprained." Stevie, with a lot of help from Lisa, sat down on the ground. Drew and Veronica bent over as she rolled up her pant leg to show them her ankle. It was red, but turning slightly purple, and was clearly swollen. Stevie winced as Drew gingerly felt it for any sign of broken bones.

"Sorry Stevie, brace yourself, "Drew said calmly. Stevie frowned, unsure of what to brace for. Drew put his hand around the width of her ankle and gave a tight squeeze. Stevie cried out in pain and Lisa rested a hand on her shoulder.

"What was that for?" Stevie asked, grinding her teeth together. It hurt _a lot. _

"I had to check for broken bones, sorry." Drew replied. "Luckily there's no sign of anything serious."

Lisa and Carole let out sighs of relief, but Stevie was in too much pain to care.

Lisa and Carole helped her up and towards the office as Drew called the doctor. Veronica gave an angry grunt. She was _clearly _going to have to cancel her lesson for today. Why did the Saddle Club girls always have to mess things up for _her_? She thought.

Stevie sat on the couch next to Lisa and Carole as Drew walked in.

"The doctor said he'd be here in fifteen minutes. Can you wait here? I have to make some phone calls to parents, and to the local sharpshooter. We need to be rid of that dog, and soon." Drew shut the door, not waiting for an answer.

The doctor said it was just a bad sprain, and would be fine after a couple of days. All Stevie had to do was keep it bandaged and apply ice on it every few hours. The doctor also applied some sort of cream to the back of Stevie's neck, as Stevie was going to have to do for the next few weeks. Apparently, it lowered the risk of infection, and helped the skin close up and heal faster.

Later, Stevie's mom came to pick her up. She offered to take the girls home and they agreed. The next day they wouldn't be able to see each other at all because Lisa had clarinet lessons, and a little bit of winter-break homework. Carole had to go shopping with her dad for some car parts and for a new bridle for Starlight, (His old was over three years old and wearing down.) Stevie was just going to stay home and rest. Her mom was a little frantic after everything that had happened that day, and didn't want to take any more chances for a little while.

After dropping off the girls, Stevie sat and stared out the window. She leaned back on the seat, closing her eyes. It wasn't long before she drifted off to sleep.

The next Monday, two days after the wild dog incident, Stevie, Lisa and Carole sat in the lounge playing checkers. Well, Stevie and Carole were playing and Lisa was watching. She was going to play the winner.

That's when Phil walked in. He hadn't been to Pine Hollow for the last few days, but had heard about the dog incident from his parents. Apparently, Drew had called every rider's parents informing them that the dog had been taken care of (killed) and everything was safe.

He walked in, not expecting to see Stevie. He was a little surprised, but also glad. He wanted to talk more about their trail ride the next day. He walked over to the table and sat down next to Stevie. She didn't acknowledge he was there. Phil got a little worried, until he saw that she was playing checkers. Stevie, as usual, was WAY over-competitive when it came to this game.

"Hah! I beat you!" She said, as she jumped over the last of Carole's pieces. Carole gave a sigh of defeat.

"Okay, Lisa, your turn." She said.

"Hey Phil." Stevie said, turning to him. "Sorry I didn't say hi, I was busy…" She turned to Lisa. "Prepare to get terminated!" She said with a laugh. Lisa raised an eyebrow.

"Uh huh." She said sarcastically.

Stevie smiled and turned back to Phil. "So how are you?" She asked.

"Fine. But I really should be asking _you_ that!" He glanced at her foot. "Is it okay?"

"Hm? Oh, yeah it's fine. But I won't be able to ride again till' Thursday." She said disappointed. Phil's smile fell.

"Oh." He said quietly.

"Oh? Oh what?" Stevie asked. "What's wrong-"She paused. "Oh my gosh! I completely forgot! I'm so sorry Phil!" She cried.

"It's _fine _Stevie. We'll just do it Thursday!" He said cheerfully, glad they would still get to go.

"Do what?" Lisa asked from across the table. Stevie frowned.

"None of your business!" She said jokingly. "It's just a trail ride."

"Ooooh!" Lisa and Carole cooed.

Stevie blushed. "Oh, stop it! Lisa, it's your turn!" She said.

Lisa took her turn quietly.

"Are you sure?" She turned back to Phil. "I know it meant a lot to you!"

"It's okay, really! You couldn't help it!" He said lightening up.

Stevie gave him a suspicious glare before taking her turn. Phil watched with interest as Stevie ended up the winner, again.

"My turn!" He called, taking Lisa's place. Carole and Lisa whispered amongst themselves.

Stevie glared at Phil from across the table. "Are we going to place bets?" She asked. Phil nodded.

"If I win, you have to kiss me." He said tapping his lips. Stevie smiled evilly and Lisa grinned from down the table.

"Fine." She smirked. "And if I win, you have to offer to Veronica to do all her dirty work. She was looking for someone to do it earlier."

Phil squinted his eyes and nodded. They shook on it.

"Okay, you can go first." Stevie said.

The game lasted about thirty minutes, with Phil ending victoriously. He smiled at Stevie who was clearly upset at being beaten. He felt himself go numb when he remembered their deal. Carole and Lisa had walked off to check on their horses, leaving just them. Stevie slowly walked over to Phil.

He stood, waiting.

Stevie slowly leaned forward and planted a kiss in the center of his lips. He felt himself blush as she pulled back.

"Not much of a punishment," Stevie whispered as she walked off to find Carole and Lisa.


	8. Chapter 8: Where is She?

**Chapter Eight: Where is she?**

Stevie approached Carole and Lisa. Her foot was sore, but she didn't complain.

"Hey guys!"

"Hey Stevie! How was it?" Carole asked.

Stevie gave a grumpy sigh. "I lost." She pouted.

"Hah! Even the everlasting champion has a bad day!" Carole smirked. Stevie made a face.

"So…..did you have to….you know?" Lisa asked grinning widely.

"What?" Stevie asked curious. "Did I have to what?"

"Did you have to kiss Phil?!" Lisa giggled.

Stevie blushed. "Yeah, so?"

"So…..was it….was it fun?" Lisa asked. Carole smiled.

"Lisa!" Stevie playfully slapped Lisa's arm. "I don't think I need to tell you that. Why do you need to know?"

"Oh, no reason! I was just curious!" Lisa said joyfully, obviously pleased. Stevie gave a sigh.

"Sometimes I don't _believe _you people!" She said with a laugh.

Lisa and Carole laughed as well. They headed back to the lounge for lunch. When they got there, Veronica and Kristi were talking on the couch, and Melanie and Ashley were sitting at the table looking at horse magazines.

Lisa pulled her lunch out of the fridge and sat down next to Stevie and Carole. Carole had already started eating, and Stevie had nothing, much to Lisa's disappointment.

"So are you guys ready for the show Sunday?" Lisa asked.

Carole nodded. "I couldn't be more ready!" She looked at Stevie who shook her head.

"No, I haven't gotten to practice for a while. I'm thinking about dropping out of the show." Stevie said sadly. "I just don't think I've had enough time to work on things!"

"Oh Stevie, don't do that!" Lisa cried. "You've worked so hard!"

"No, it's okay. I think I'll tell Drew later today. It's fine! I'll come and cheer you guys on, I promise." Stevie smiled.

"But you can't!" Lisa pouted. "It won't be the same without you!"

"Personally I could care less." Veronica said from the couch. "It won't matter anyways. Garnet and I are sure to take first place." She said smiling evilly.

"What about me? Don't you want me to win too?" Kristi asked from beside Veronica.

"Huh? Oh, yeah. I _want _you to win, but with me in the show, you don't stand a chance! Just face the truth Kristi! You can't possibly think you can beat _me?_" Veronica said astounded.

Kristi leaned back on the couch folding her arms. "I can _try_!" She said angrily.

"Good luck with that," Veronica smirked.

Kristi scowled at Veronica and got up to leave.

"Wait, Kristi, I'm sure you'll get second!" Veronica cried, as she ran after Kristi who was heading out the door.

Stevie chuckled as they ran off bickering with each other.

"Those girls, I can't believe they call themselves friends! It's an insult to friends everywhere!" She laughed.

Lisa and Carole smiled in agreement.

"So about the show… Stevie, are you sure you want to quit?" Carole asked uncertain.

Stevie shook her head. "No Carole, you've got it all wrong!" She said getting up. "I'm not _quitting, _I'm dropping out!"

Carole rolled her eyes. "Hah, hah, very funny Stevie," She grinned. "Where are you going?"

Stevie had reached the door. "To tell Drew! I want to make sure he hasn't already signed me up!" Stevie laughed. She walked out the door and headed towards the office. When she got there, no one was there. Stevie sat down on the couch to wait for Drew.

About two minutes later Red walked in.

"Oh, hi Stevie, what are you doing here?" He asked.

"Waiting for Drew, there's something I need to talk to him about." She replied.

"Oh, I see. Can you tell me?" Red questioned.

Stevie raised an eyebrow. "Yeah right! Like I'd want to talk to _you_!"

Red's spirits fell. He knew she was still mad at him for what he had done.

"Look, I'm really sorry about what I did the other day. I just lost my temper." Red said, hoping to be forgiven.

"Yeah I know! And to think you're a stable hand! Aren't they supposed to be _responsible? _Do you call that responsible?" She cried.

Red hung his head. "I know, it _was _irresponsible, and I'm sorry. Will you please forgive me? Can things go back to the way they were?" He pleaded. Stevie looked at him for a second before sighing.

"Okay!" She laughed. "I couldn't stay mad at you for long anyways! Not after all you've done around here!"

Red smiled. "Glad we're friends again. So what did you need to talk about?" He tried again. Stevie glared at him.

"I'm still not telling you." She turned away. Red gave a sigh of frustration, when Drew walked in.

"What's happening in here?" He asked.

"Oh, nothing, Red's just being mean." Stevie smirked, sticking her tongue out at Red while Drew's back was turned.

"What?! No I'm not!" Red yelled, flabbergasted.

"Red, could you please wait outside for a minute while I sort things out with Stevie?" Drew sighed. Red left, throwing a look to Stevie. She smiled triumphantly as he closed the door. He leaned against it softly, hoping to hear their conversation.

"Drew, I think I'm going to drop out of the show on Sunday." Stevie said. Red gave a small gasp from his place outside the door.

Drew raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure? You've been working for it for a while now!"

"Yeah, I know, but I haven't been able to practice much lately." Stevie admitted. "I just don't feel ready."

Drew nodded slowly. "Alright. If that's what you want to do, I can't stop you. But I'd hate to see you give it up," Drew looked at Stevie.

She sighed. "I'm sorry to let you down Drew, but I really don't feel ready. Maybe next time." Drew turned and pulled out a list of students entering in the show. He slowly crossed Stevie's name out in pencil.

"In case you change your mind." He replied as she cast him a curious glance. Normally, he'd use his pen.

"Thanks Drew!" Stevie said happily. She walked towards the door. Red leapt up and dived into the hay loft as she walked off. He gave a sigh of relief, and got up. He shook hay off his jeans and his hair, as he walked back into the office.

Stevie walked over to Belle's stall. She seemed restless.

"I'm sorry Belle! I know you were looking forward for the show! We always have a great time, but I just can't go this time." Stevie sighed and buried her face in Belle's mane. Belle turned around and nuzzled Stevie's jeans for treats.

"Stop that!" Stevie shoved Belle's muzzle aside. "Here!" She handed Belle the treat that was in her pocket. "You deserved it."

Carole and Lisa walked by.

"Hey Stevie!" Lisa called. "How did your talk with Drew go?"

"It was fine!" Stevie replied as she made her way over to the stall door.

"Did he let you drop out?" Carole asked nervously.

"Yeah, he was pretty nice about it too. Disappointed, but nice." Stevie said, as she opened the stall door and walked out to join the girls.

"That's good. At least you got what you wanted. Although I'd love to have you in the show, if he'd made you do it, you probably would have just caused even more trouble" Lisa said smiling. "And we all know how that would've ended!"

Stevie nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I'm glad he didn't enforce anything too." They continued walking and talking about the show, when Scooter ran out in front of them causing them to stumble back in surprise.

"Sorry girls! Hey, have you seen Red? I need to talk to him about something!" He smiled.

"Yeah, he was in the office last time I saw him." Stevie motioned in the direction of the office.

"Thanks!" Scooter ran off leaving the girls puzzled.

"What was that about?" Carole asked.

"I don't know, maybe he's planning something!" Lisa said hopefully. Stevie shrugged.

"Who knows? With them, it could be _anything!_" Stevie reminded them. Lisa and Carole nodded in agreement.

"Hey, want to go out on a hack?" Carole asked. "Starlight's been looking restless all day and could use a good gallop."

Lisa nodded. "Sure! Sounds like fun!" They turned to Stevie.

"Want to come with us?" Lisa asked.

Stevie shook her head. "Sorry, I can't."

Carole threw her hands up to her mouth. "Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry! I totally forgot!"

"It's okay! No big deal!" Stevie attempted a smile. "You guys go ahead, I'll wait for you here! I'd hate for all three of us to be penalized for something that only affects me." Lisa looked at her funny.

"But we don't want to go without you!" She cried.

"Don't worry! I'll be fine! I'll find something to do." Stevie pushed them towards the tack room. "Go on!"

Carole turned around, "But-"

"No but's!" Stevie interrupted. "Just go! Have a good time! I'll be in the lounge when you're done!" Carole and Lisa grabbed their saddles.

"If you say so Stevie," Lisa shrugged. They walked over to their horses. After a few minutes, they were galloping off towards the fields. Stevie couldn't help but feel a twang of envy as she watched them go. She missed riding so much.

She stood there for a few minutes before deciding to head back to the lounge. Once there, she plopped down on the couch and rested her head in her hands. She couldn't help it, but she was bored.

Stevie glanced at her watch. It was 11:30. Almost lunchtime, but she wasn't hungry. She sighed. Maybe something _was _wrong with her. She hadn't eaten in so long, but wasn't the least bit hungry. She couldn't remember what had happened for those two days she was "ill". Stevie felt a few tears slide down her cheeks and she leaned into the couch. She couldn't start crying _again. _

With a half-hearted sigh, she got up and walked outside. She couldn't ride anywhere, but she could walk. Stevie headed towards the valley trail. It brought some bad memories, but she pushed them away. Hoping to get to the valley creek before Lisa and Carole got back, she walked quickly. It was about a mile away, but Stevie continued following the trail. After a while, she got tired.

Her foot was killing her, and she had to rest for a moment on a nearby log.

"Okay, this was a bad idea," Stevie thought aloud as she rubbed her aching foot. She felt a wave of drowsiness come over her and she yawned.

"No! I can't fall asleep, I need to get back!" Stevie scolded herself. She got up and limped back the way she came. After a while she realized why these were called horse trails. They were too long, and too rough for most people to attempt on their own. And to think she thought she could have gotten there so quickly.

After about ten minutes Stevie had to sit down again. Her foot hurt worse than before, and she could barely walk on it. The noon sun peeked from behind a thin layer of clouds warming up the area where Stevie sat. It was almost like a blanket of warmth.

Stevie leaned against the tree she was sitting under, and closed her eyes. Ignoring the voice in her head that was telling her to get up, she drifted off to sleep.

Meanwhile…

After about an hour, Lisa and Carole returned to the barn laughing. They had raced back, Lisa being the winner.

"I'll bet it's only because Prancer's a racehorse!" Carole joked.

"An _ex-racehorse_!" Lisa cried, "She's not one anymore!"

Carole rolled her eyes. "Yeah, but she's still genuinely faster!"

Lisa sighed as she dismounted. "Carole, that's so juvenile! She hasn't raced for real in so long, she's probably forgotten how to!" She laughed.

Carole smiled. "I know, I was just teasing!" They lead their horses into the barn.

Drew approached them. "Hey, have you girls seen Stevie?"

Lisa and Carole shook their heads in unison. "No, we've been out for an hour." Lisa said truthfully. Drew gave a worried sigh.

"I haven't seen her around either. I was hoping you knew." He turned to leave but Carole stopped him.

"Did you check the lounge?" She asked.

"Yes! As I said before, Stevie is nowhere around here! I was hoping she was with you." Drew replied.

Lisa threw Carole a worried glance. "She wouldn't go out riding would she?" Lisa asked her. "She's supposed to wait until Thursday!"

Carole shook her head. "No, on our way in I saw Belle in her stall." They looked at Drew.

"I don't know girls, maybe you could ask around." He said. "I need to alert her mother. Maybe she went home?"

"Maybe…." Carole trailed off. They all knew that's not what happened. Drew left and headed towards the office. Lisa and Carole looked at each other for a moment.

"Hey, let's tie our horses up outside. We could need them later, so we won't untack _right _now." Carole said. Lisa nodded and they left their horses outside. They walked over towards Melanie and Ashley.

"Have either of you seen Stevie?" Lisa asked. Both girls shook their heads.

"No, is she gone?" Ashley asked. Carole shrugged.

"We don't know." She said.

"She's been acting so weird lately, is everything okay?" Melanie asked.

"Yeah, it's fine." Lisa said grumpily. They ran off to find Red and Scooter.

Melanie turned to Ashley. "I hope we don't have problems like that when _we're _older." She said. Ashley nodded in agreement.

Carole and Lisa ran through the barn, bumping into Scooter and Red along the way. Neither of them had seen Stevie. They called Phil, but he hadn't seen her, or heard from her. He offered to help but Lisa hung up before he could get an answer.

"Where is she?" Lisa cried. "I'm worried about her Carole! She hasn't been herself lately, and something horrible could have happened!" Carole grabbed Lisa's shoulders and shook her hard.

"Lisa! Snap out of it! This is Stevie we're talking about! I'm sure she's fine!" Carole yelled.

"Yes, she is Stevie, and Stevie is pretty good at fending for herself," Lisa started. "But-"

"But what? She'll be fine! You said so yourself!" Carole interrupted.

"But that was when she _was _herself!" Lisa sobbed. Carole sighed. Veronica walked by.

"What's her problem?" She asked.

"We can't find Stevie anywhere!" Lisa whimpered.

"Stevie? I saw her walking towards the Valley trail earlier," Veronica frowned. "Is something wrong?"

Carole gave a frustrated sigh. "Come on Lisa! Let's go!" They ran off towards their horses. Veronica shrugged and continued walking towards the lounge. She needed to talk to Kristi about the horse show on Sunday.

Lisa and Carole jumped up on their horses. Lisa gave Prancer a firm kick and they galloped off on the Valley trail. Carole and Starlight followed close behind. They galloped through the trees until they got to the meadow.

"She's not here!" Lisa cried. "Where is she?!"

Carole shrugged. "I don't know, maybe we passed her! I doubt she came all the way to the valley on her ankle!"

Lisa gave a small nod and turned Prancer around. She followed Carole at a controlled canter.

"Why are we going so slowly? We _need _to find Stevie and fast! Before something bad happens, if it hasn't already!" Lisa shrieked.

Carole rolled her eyes. "We missed her once before, we obviously needed to slow down to find her! If we go any faster it raises our chances of missing her again! Do you want that to happen? Our horses are tired enough as is!" Carole scolded Lisa. She was getting a bit _too _worried.

Lisa hung her head. "Yeah, you're right. Sorry."

Carole gave a sigh. "It's fine Lisa! I'm glad you're worried, I am too, but you need to focus a bit more."

Lisa nodded and they slowed to a trot. They trot through the trees for about three minutes before Carole spotted a small speck of blue near one of the trees.

"Is that her?" Carole asked Lisa, but Lisa had already cantered towards the blue. Carole cantered after her. Finally she brought Starlight to a halt as Lisa dismounted.

"It _is _her!" Lisa gave a happy cry. She ran over to Stevie, who was knocked unconscious under the tree. Her eyes were closed, and her breathing shallow.

"Is she alright?" Carole asked hesitantly. Lisa shrugged.

"I think so. It looks like she's just sleeping. She must have been tired after walking so far." Lisa slowly stroked Stevie's hair.

"Well, we need to wake her up and get her back. Drew will be glad to know she's alright." Carole said, kneeling down next to Lisa.

"But I don't _want _to wake her up! You know what she's like in the mornings!" Lisa cried.

Carole sighed. "Fine, I'll do it." She gently shook Stevie's shoulder. Stevie's eyes fluttered open.

"Errrrrr….." Stevie groaned and rolled back over.

"Stevie, come on! Wake up! We need to get you back to Pine Hollow!" Carole whined.

"Huh?" Stevie sat up. "Oh, yeah, I almost forgot. How long have I been gone?"

"I don't know, a good hour I guess." Lisa replied. "We were so worried about you!" She flung her arms around Stevie's neck. Carole joined in.

"Don't ever run away from us again Stevie!" Carole said.

Stevie frowned. "I didn't run away, I just took a walk. But my foot started hurting, and so I took a break. I must have fallen asleep, sorry!"

Carole glared at her. "Drew was really worried about you! He thought something really bad had happened! And don't get me started about Lisa!" Lisa hung her head and blushed slightly.

"Yeah, we were all pretty freaked out." Lisa said quietly.

Stevie smiled. "I'm really sorry, I didn't know." She got up and immediately winced as she set her foot down.

Lisa smiled at her. "Need a lift?" She asked.

Stevie shook her head. "No, I'm not supposed to ride until Thursday."

Carole nudged her softly. "Oh, come on! It'll be okay! Or do you want to walk _all _the way home?" Stevie shook her head rapidly.

"No way! I'm coming with you!" She took Lisa's hand as she was pulled onto Prancer's back. "I do _not _want to walk all the way back!"

Carole and Lisa laughed as they walked off towards Pine Hollow.

When they arrived back, Drew was waiting for them. He helped Stevie dismount Prancer, making sure to be careful with her foot.

"Stevie, I need to talk with you. Immediately." Drew walked towards the office. Stevie hung her head and followed him, stealing a glance at Lisa and Carole.

They gave her a sympathetic look as she walked off.

"Will she be alright?" Lisa turned to Carole.

"Yeah, she'll be fine!" Carole smiled. "She's Stevie, remember!"

Stevie slowly walked into the office. Drew motioned to the couch, and she sat down.

"What were you doing?" He asked. His voice full of concern and anger.

"I…I um…I was taking a walk. My foot started to hurt, and so I sat down. I fell asleep." Stevie said quietly. Drew gave a sigh of frustration.

"You know better than to go running off on your own! Especially with your current condition-"

"Current condition? I'm not sick!" Stevie shrieked. Her voice rose as she got mad. "I was _fine _Drew!"

"Yes, but your friends and fellow riders were not. We were all worried about you. Nobody knew where you had gone, and what you were doing. We were lucky Veronica saw where you went or we might not have found you in time!" Drew yelled. Stevie hung her head.

"I'm sorry. I know what I did was…..a bit foolish…but I'm okay now!" Stevie said.

Drew sighed. "I know that now, but we thought something bad had happened to you earlier. Next time, please tell someone where you are going! And it would be nice if you took someone with you so we weren't as worried! Who knows what could have happened to you while you were out there alone." Drew looked Stevie in the eye. "This is a rule for everyone, not just you. Please don't get frustrated, it's for the best."

Stevie nodded slowly. "I understand. Sorry for making you worry."

Drew smiled. "It's fine, at least you're okay!" He walked towards the door. "You can leave now."

Stevie remained seated, she felt her face get hot and she turned away.

"Stevie? What's wrong?" Drew asked. Stevie gave a small sigh.

"I don't think I'm going to get up for at _least _twenty minutes." She laughed. "My foot is so sore, I don't think I could get up even if I wanted to!"

Drew chuckled quietly. "I'll leave you here then. Shall I send Lisa and Carole up?" Stevie nodded quickly as Drew walked out. She leaned back on the couch and closed her eyes. Before she knew it, she had dozed off again.


	9. Chapter 9: Catching Colds

**Chapter Nine: Catching Colds, Causing Problems**

Lisa and Carole walked into the office. Stevie had fallen asleep on the couch and was snoring quietly. Lisa smiled.

"Hah, I guess she couldn't wait for us!" She laughed. Carole grinned. They sat down on the arms of the couch. Lisa turned to Carole. "Ready?" She whispered.

"You bet!" Carole whispered back. She got up from the couch arm, and walked over until she was standing over Stevie. She looked at Lisa who had already started counting down. Three….two…..one….

"WAKE UP!" They yelled. Stevie's eyes shot open and she let out a small scream. Sitting up, she slowed her breathing.

"Errrr….guys, why did you have to do that? I was _sleeping!_" Stevie groaned, but she was smiling. Carole and Lisa laughed, and Stevie eventually joined in.

"We wanted to ask you how it went with Drew! He told us to come meet you up here, remember?" Lisa asked. Stevie nodded.

"Yeah, yeah, I remember." Stevie stood up, wincing as she set her foot down. "Urg, next time, would you two be around to stop me before I do something so stupid?" Stevie joked. Lisa smiled.

"We would have, but you practically forced us on that trail ride!" Lisa teased. Stevie sighed.

"So how was it?" Stevie asked.

"It was great!" Carole replied. "I'm glad Starlight got to get some energy out. Earlier, he looked like he was about to jump out of his stall he had so much energy!" She laughed.

"That's great! How was it for you Lisa?" Stevie asked.

"It was fun! Prancer's still got it in her for racing!" Lisa replied.

"Hey! Earlier you went on about how she was an ex-racehorse and couldn't race to save her life!" Carole said, stunned.

Lisa's mouth fell open. "Um….yeah….about that…" She stuttered. Carole playfully nudged her arm.

"It's okay, I was just joking!" Carole said.

The three of them got up and walked outside. They talked for about an hour before deciding to head home. They wanted to get some sleep, so they could spend another day at Pine Hollow tomorrow. Including Tuesday, they only had five more days they could practice for the show. They wouldn't be able to practice Sunday because of the show, and they had to get ready for it. They said their goodbyes as they walked towards the separate cars.

The next morning Carole was the first one to arrive. She sat on the fence and watched the horses run through the pasture for about twenty minutes before Stevie arrived.

"Hello Miss Hanson, how are you this fine morning?" Stevie asked, grinning.

"I am doing quite nicely Miss Lake, how about you?" Carole replied. They burst out laughing about two seconds later. Being friends, they loved to do silly things like that. They talked for a few minutes when Lisa arrived. She took a while to get out of the car and was carrying a box of tissues with her.

"What are those for?" Stevie asked.

"I have a bit of a stuffy nose," Lisa said grumpily. "Don't tease me about them Stevie, I'm not in the mood."

Stevie sat, stunned. She turned to Carole who shrugged. "Okay…..um…..how are you?" She asked hesitantly.

Lisa glared at her. "How do you think?" she scowled.

"Fine?" Stevie joked. _Big _mistake.

"Fine?! Yeah right! I already told you! I'm not in the mood for one of your jokes!" Lisa snapped.

"Well sorry for trying to be _friendly!_" Stevie yelled. Lisa rolled her eyes.

"Well it didn't help anything!" She grumbled.

"What's wrong with you Lisa?" Stevie asked, a little worried.

"What's wrong with _me? _How about you! You don't eat anything for four days, you don't remember anything, and your ankle is broken! I'm not the one who has problems!"

"Okay, you asked for it…" Stevie jumped off the fence. She walked towards Lisa, rolling her hands into fists. "We'll see who has problems now-"

"Stop it!" Carole cried. She ran over to Stevie. "Stop it! Both of you! Lisa, you need to be nice! And Stevie, hurting people is not the answer!"

"It worked for Red." Stevie pointed out. Carole gave an angry sigh.

"Just, _no,_ Stevie!" She pleaded. "That is _so _not the way to go!" Stevie sighed and unclenched her hands.

"Fine. But if she says something like that again, I don't care Carole, I _will _hurt someone. And if you get in the way, you might end up the one hurt." Stevie said truthfully.

"Oh come on Stevie, stop acting tough! You may _think _you're more like a boy than a girl sometimes, but you're not!" Lisa teased.

Stevie growled. "Okay, you're in for it now..."

Carole tried to grab Stevie's arm but was too slow. Stevie launched herself at Lisa. Lisa, not expecting this, let out a small whine. Carole jumped in and grabbed Stevie's shoulders before anyone got hurt. Lisa had fallen to her knees on the ground, and Stevie was fighting against Carole with all her might.

"Stevie! Stevie, stop it! Stop it right now!" Carole shrieked. Stevie froze.

"I…I uh…I'm sorry Carole." Stevie hung her head. "It was _her _fault!" She pointed at Lisa. Lisa shook her head in dismay.

"Yeah right! I'm not the one who attacks people!" She scowled. Stevie glared at her.

"Lisa, what you did _was _pretty mean. Are you feeling okay?" Carole asked. Lisa burst into tears.

"No!" She buried her face in her hands.

"Lisa? Lisa, what's wrong?" Carole asked. She dropped to her knees beside Lisa.

"I'm sorry…I just didn't get much sleep last night, and now I have a cold, and I feel miserable." Lisa coughed. Carole sighed. Stevie slowly started to walk away.

"Uh uh, come here, you aren't through with me yet," Carole ordered. Stevie slunk back over towards Carole.

"Yes?" She asked hesitantly.

"Stevie, don't think it was all Lisa's fault. You had no right to behave the way you did. Hurting people is not nice! Especially if they're your friends!" She scolded.

"You hurt me." Stevie replied, looking away. Carole gulped.

"Yes, but only mentally, not physically. I don't go around punching people, now do I?" Carole asked. Stevie shook her head.

"Um Carole, it _did _end upkind of physical though," Lisa whispered but Carole shushed her.

"Not now," She whispered back. Lisa gave a slight nod.

'I guess. Sorry Carole," Stevie said.

"Don't apologize to me! Apologize to Lisa!" Carole replied.

"Sorry Lisa…" Stevie apologized, hanging her head.

"It's okay Stevie. I'm sorry about what I said, I didn't mean it!" Lisa said. She let out a small cough.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Stevie asked. "No offense, but you sound horrible."

Lisa smiled. "I know. My throat hurts and makes my voice sound all raspy."

"Let's go inside, and I'll get you something to drink," Carole suggested. Lisa and Stevie nodded and they headed towards the lounge.

"Hey Stevie, did you hear about the blizzard?" Lisa asked as they sat at the lounge table. Carole set about to making hot cocoa.

"No, what blizzard?" Stevie tilted her head to one side.

"Well, according to the weatherman, we're supposed to have a _huge _blizzard on Thursday! Isn't that great? I love the snow!" Lisa chirped. She was definitely in a better mood.

Stevie froze. Her eyes widened. "T-Thursday?" She choked.

"Yeah, Thursday! I know, only two short days from today! Isn't that amazing!" Lisa asked.

Stevie sat there, frozen, and speechless.

"Stevie?" Carole asked, as she set down the three cups of hot chocolate down on the table. "Are you alright?"

Stevie slowly shook her head.

"What's wrong then?" Carole smiled. "Don't tell me you're allergic to hot chocolate now!" She joked.

Stevie shook her head again. "Phil…..Phil and I were supposed to go on a trail ride on Thursday. It's already been rescheduled once…" Stevie groaned and laid her head on the table.

"Stevie!" Carole ran over to her and laid a hand on Stevie's shoulder. "Stevie, are you alright?"

"Hm? Oh, yeah, I'm fine!" Stevie replied casually. "I just _love _making people upset."

Carole sighed. "Phil won't be upset, he'll understand! And it isn't your fault!"

Stevie gave a small nod. From the end of the table Lisa coughed again.

"Hey, you know what, the weathermen are usually wrong, aren't they?" Carole said quickly, hoping to cheer Stevie up. Stevie smiled and nodded.

"Yeah, you're right! I'm sure we'll be fine!" Stevie said happily. She took a huge gulp of her hot cocoa before yelping and running towards the sink.

"That stuff is HOT!" She yelled, splashing her mouth with cold water.

Carole and Lisa laughed. "They don't call it _hot _chocolate for nothing!" Lisa chided.

They all burst out laughing. Veronica and Kristi walked in a few minutes later.

"What's so funny?" Veronica scowled.

"It's probably just another one of their Saddle Club jokes again," Kristi answered. She turned to Veronica. "Hey, my mom was going to take me shopping for new jodhpurs later, want to tag along?"

"Sure!" They walked off talking about where they were going to shop. Stevie looked at Carole and Lisa.

"What was that about?" She asked. "They come in, ask us a question but don't let us answer, and then leave. That's odd!"

"Yeah, but this is _Veronica _we're talking about. You know how she's like!" Carole grinned.

"Yeah, I guess. It was still a bit odd though, even for them." Stevie replied.

"Let's not worry about it! It's their problem!" Lisa said. She pulled out the game of checkers. "Want to play?"

Stevie shook her head. "I need to go find Mrs. R. She supposedly has stuff for burns, and my tongue is in desperate need of it!" She ran off towards the barn. Carole laughed.

"That's Stevie for you!" She said. She and Lisa started a round of checkers.

"So how do you think she is?" Lisa asked Carole. "Is she getting better?"

"Yeah, I think so. She isn't eating still, but is much better than before!" Carole replied as she jumped one of Lisa's pawns.

"Hmm…I guess," Lisa responded. She coughed again.

"Lisa, I think you need to go home and get some rest, you sound awful!" Carole said, concerned.

"I'm fine-cough-just a little-cough-tired." She replied. "I'll be fine for the show on-cough-Sunday!"

"Okay Lisa, that's it! I hate hearing you cough! You need some rest!" Carole got up and grabbed Lisa's arm. She dragged her towards the couch. "Sit." She ordered.

Lisa sat. "But I'm fine!" She coughed.

"No you're not! I'm calling your mom! You need to get some rest!" Carole walked over towards the phone.

"But-"

"No buts!" Carole scolded. She picked up the phone and dialed Lisa's mother.

"Hello?"

"Hello Mrs. Attwood, it's Carole!"

"Oh hi Carole, is there a problem?"

"Yes…well….kind of. You see, Lisa's cold is really bothering her and she wanted me to ask you if she could come home to get some rest." Carole smirked at Lisa.

"Why didn't she call me?" Mrs. Attwood asked worriedly.

"Oh, she's just um….sleeping! Yeah, she's sleeping on the couch." Carole lied. Lisa made a face.

"I am _so _notsleeping!" She whispered harshly.

Carole put a finger to her mouth and shushed Lisa.

"Oh, alright. Well, be a dear and wake her up for me. I'll be there in fifteen minutes!" The phone clicked and Carole hung up. She walked over to Lisa who was clearly upset.

"I don't _want _to leave yet Carole!" Lisa whined.

"But you're sick, and you really should go home and get some rest. I don't want to be the only one in the show this weekend because you have a cold!" Carole teased. Lisa nodded reluctantly.

"Okay….I guess so. But what about Stevie? I didn't get to say goodbye!" Lisa cried.

"She'll be fine! I'm sure she'll understand!" Carole reassured. She handed Lisa her hand. "Come on, your mom will be here any minute now!"

They walked towards the lounge doors and sat outside. It was pretty cold though, and they had to come back inside a few minutes later to keep warm.

"I knew it was chilly, but not _that _chilly!" Lisa shivered, rubbing her arms with her hands.

"I know! I think it's the wind!" Carole agreed.

"Uh huh, which mean we probably will get that blizzard on Thursday. And you know what that means." Lisa pouted.

"Yeah, yeah, Stevie will get upset." Carole smiled. "If we can convince her by tomorrow, than she won't be upset when it _really _starts snowing!"

Lisa nodded. "We'll try tomorrow. Plus, I don't want her getting stuck out in the snow by herself!"

Carole smiled evilly. "She won't _be _by herself Lisa, she's got Phil!"

Lisa put her lips together. "It'll be so romantic!" She sighed. "But yeah, tomorrow we'll convince her not to go and stay at Pine Hollow, to be safe!"

Carole nodded. "Yep, that's the plan! Hopefully it works!" She waved as Lisa ran towards her mother's car. As they drove off, Carole went to look for Stevie. She had some persuading to do. After all, it never hurts to start early! And with Stevie, it would take all the time they could get to convince her not to go on that trail ride.

Carole approached Belle's stall cautiously. Stevie was inside humming softy, holding a glass of milk.

"What's that for?" Carole asked Stevie, gesturing towards the milk.

"Oh, that? Mrs. R said it would help my tongue burn!" Stevie shrugged. "It's worked for me!"

Carole smiled, "I'm glad, tongue burns are serious problems!" She laughed.

Stevie grinned. "I know right! They're the worst!" Stevie laughed with Carole. Carole felt her stomach tighten. She didn't want to try to stop Stevie, when Stevie was so excited for it.

"So Carole, do you really think we'll get that blizzard on Thursday?" Stevie asked coincidentally.

Carole shrugged quickly. "I don't know, but judging by these harsh winds we're getting right now, I'd say yes."

Stevie frowned. "Oh, I was hoping we'd still be okay for Thursday, Phil and I." Stevie looked at Carole. "Do you think it's safe to go?"

Carole shook her head hesitantly. Stevie raised an eyebrow.

"No? Why not?!"

"I don't know Stevie, it's just really cold out, and snowy, and the winds are horrible! I'm worried that on Thursday, the blizzard will hit, and trap you and Phil outside for the night!" Carole cried. Stevie glared at her.

"I think we'll be fine. If we leave early, the blizzard will hit after our trail ride, and we'll already be back at Pine Hollow, safe and sound." Stevie reasoned. Carole shook her head again.

"Sorry Stevie, but I _really _don't think you should go! I don't want to take any chances! Not after what's happened these past two weeks!" Carole laid a hand on Stevie's shoulder. "It's only to be safe!"

Stevie growled and slapped Carole's hand away. "No! I _will _go on the trail ride Thursday, and you can't stop me!" She opened the stall door and walked out. Carole followed her.

"But Stevie-"

"But what?" Stevie interrupted. She spun around to face Carole. "I'm sorry Carole, but no means no! I am going to go on that trail ride!"

"Even if Phil doesn't go?" Carole asked. She wondered if Phil would talk some sense into Stevie.

"I already asked him about it. He said that if we leave earlier, we might miss the blizzard. Besides, it might not even come!" Stevie snapped. Carole looked away, out of persuasion ideas.

"Hey, but Stevie, you could always go Friday! The snow will be fresh, and blizzard free!" She said quickly. Stevie shook her head.

"No Carole. I've already moved the date back once, I'm not doing it again!" She looked Carole in the eye. "If you are a good friend, you'll let me go." Carole let out a whimper.

"Um…."  
"That's what I thought." Stevie scowled and stormed off towards her mother's car, which had just approached. Carole sighed. She was never going to persuade Stevie now. Oh boy, what had she done? She'd gone and riled up a monster, that's what. And now, she was going to have to deal with the consequences.


	10. Chapter 10: Stuck in the Snow

**Chapter Ten: Stuck in the Snow**

Stevie woke up in a good mood. It was Thursday, and she would finally get to go on the trail ride with Phil. She jumped out of bed and walked over to her mirror. She sighed nervously.

"What if Carole was right?" She said to her reflection. There was no response from the person in the mirror.

Stevie shook her head quickly. As much as she was worried, she wanted to prove Carole wrong. She wanted to prove that she was right, sometimes.

Stevie got dressed and grabbed her backpack. She and Phil were going to eat a picnic lunch while they were out. Her mom started up the car and they drove off towards Pine Hollow. Stevie glanced out the window. The trees shook in the wind, and a few dark clouds rolled in slowly. Stevie bit her lip. Maybe Carole was right after all.

When they got to Pine Hollow, Phil was there with Belle and Teddy. Stevie smiled, and forgot about Carole for a moment. That moment wasn't very long, because soon Carole and Lisa came walking out of the barn.

Lisa still had her box of tissues with her, and her nose was tinted red. They started to walk towards the trail buddies. Phil had mounted Teddy and he handed Stevie Belle's reins. Stevie hopped up on Belle.

"Thanks so much for tacking her up! If I got here sooner I could've helped!" Stevie noticed her face get a little warm. She felt embarrassed that she wasn't here to tack up her own horse.

"Oh, no problem! I got here especially early to surprise you!" He smiled at her. Stevie returned the gesture. She felt a bit better that he had meant to do it.

"So are we still going to the lake?" Stevie asked.

"Uh huh! And don't forget the old barn!" Phil reminded her. She rolled her eyes dramatically.

"How could I forget?" She teased. Phil shook his head. They were about to leave when Lisa and Carole approached them.

"So you're still going?" Lisa asked with a sigh. She frowned when the couple nodded.

"Yeah, we're hoping to beat the blizzard on our way back!" Phil replied cheerfully.

Carole rolled her eyes. "Like _that's _going to happen. You can't race the clouds!" She cried.

Stevie glared at her. "We can try." She turned to Phil. "Ready to head out?"

Phil grinned and gave Teddy a squeeze. He was soon cantering towards the trail.

Before Stevie could follow, Carole gently grabbed Stevie's leg.

"Are you sure about this?" She asked worriedly.

Stevie nodded. "Affirmative!" She smiled and cantered off to catch up to Phil. Carole shook her head, and Lisa sneezed.

"Those two…" She trailed off and walked towards the lounge. The temperature was dropping, and she wanted to get warm. Lisa followed, dragging along her box of tissues. Both of them worried for Stevie.

Out on the trail Stevie and Phil approached the lake in good time. A few more clouds had appeared on the horizon, but nothing too bad, yet. Stevie dismounted and tied Belle to a log next to Teddy. She walked over to join Phil, who had laid out the blanket.

"What do you have for us today?" He turned to her. She laid out two sandwiches, a bowl of strawberries, and a couple brownies onto the blanket.

"Here, my mom helped me with the meal!" Stevie handed Phil a sandwich.

"I thought so. They looked too good to be made by you!" Phil teased. Stevie glared at him. She tore open the other sandwich and took a bite. Phil watched her, amazed. She stared back at him.

"What?" She asked once she had swallowed. "What are you looking at?"

Phil smiled and leaned forward. "Are you feeling okay?" He asked, placing his hand on her forehead to feel her temperature.

She gave him a funny look. "Um, yeah. Why?"

"Cause." Phil looked at her sandwich. "You're eating something!"

Stevie looked down. Her appetite had returned the other night, but she didn't think it was that important.

"Yeah, so?" Stevie asked.

"So? It's been what, _four _days since you've eaten something!" Phil shook his head. "I just can't believe it!" He leaned in closer and pecked her lips, mostly on instinct. She tilted her head in confusion.

"What was that for?" She felt her face getting hot again.

"That was for eating something." Phil smiled at her, his cheeks tinted pink. "I'm so glad!" Stevie just sighed and returned to her lunch.

About fifteen minutes later, they were headed towards the old barn. The sky was almost completely covered in gray clouds, but they failed to notice. They kept talking, and laughing, and ignored the rest of the world.

Back at the lounge…

Carole walked into the lounge. She walked over to the kitchen and grabbed two mugs. Lisa plopped down on the couch, still not feeling 100%.

Carole made some hot cocoa and handed one of the mugs to Lisa. She took it gratefully.

"Thanks Carole!" She rasped.

"You really should be at home!" Carole scolded Lisa. "Your cold is still pretty bad."

Lisa shook her head. "Nah, I'm fine. And I wanted to be here to help persuade Stevie! Not like it helped though.." She trailed off.

Carole nodded with a sigh. "I know. She's so stubborn! Someday it will cause her more trouble than she'll realize!"

Lisa grinned, her mouth covered in chocolate. "It's already caused her trouble!"

Carole nodded in agreement. "Here Lisa," She handed her a napkin. "You have a chocolate mustache!"

Lisa giggled and took the cloth. "Better?" She asked sarcastically, after she wiped her mouth.

Carole smiled. "Much."

Out on the Trail…

Stevie and Phil walked along the creek. The water had a thin layer of frost over it. It shone in the quickly disappearing sun. Stevie looked up as a shadow fell over them.

"Um, Phil," She tapped him on the shoulder.

"Huh? What?" Phil snapped out of his daydream.

"I think we should skip going to the old barn and head back!" She motioned to the sky.

Phil looked up. "Hmm…maybe. I think we'll be okay if we go through with the plans! We should have enough time to go there and get back if we canter."

Stevie shook her head. "Belle's tired; I think we should just trot home." She worried that Carole was right all along.

"Please Stevie! We can trot to the barn, _and _trot home! We'll be fine, don't fret!" He smiled at her. Stevie sighed.

"I guess so…" She trailed off as they trot towards the old barn. They wouldn't approach it for a decent fifteen minutes, but they continued in that direction.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a few white flakes fall from the sky. She gave Belle one last squeeze and she trot a little faster. She just hoped that Carole wasn't right, and that they would be able to make it back in time.

In the lounge…

Carole got up from the chair she was on. Lisa had drifted off on the couch after much persuasion from Carole, and was snuggled up in one of the blankets. Carole walked over towards the windows. The snow was coming down a little heavier than before, and she worried about Stevie. She stood there and watched the trailhead, hoping to see the two riders. She did not.

Suddenly, Veronica walked in. She scowled as she saw Carole and Lisa there.

"Oh great, is there some Saddle Club meeting going on?" She asked.

Carole glared at her. "You know we wouldn't start a meeting without Stevie!" She scolded Veronica.

Veronica looked around, and noticed Stevie was indeed, not there. "Where is Stevie?" She asked, though she honestly didn't care _too _much.

"She's out on a trail ride with Phil." Carole replied, not taking her gaze off the window.

Veronica's eyes widened. "She's out there, in the snow?"

"No, she's out on the beach." Carole answered sarcastically. Veronica rolled her eyes.

"You know what I mean."

Carole sighed. She sat down at the table with Veronica. "Yeah, she's out in the snow. I hope she gets back here soon, before the weather gets worse." She looked down at her hands.

"Yeah, I guess." Veronica got up and walked towards the couch. She accidentally sat down on Lisa's legs.

"Ouch!" Lisa cried, sitting up quickly.

"Ahhh!" Veronica shrieked. She shot up and ran over to the couch.

Carole laughed.

"Sorry, you scared me!" Lisa apologized. Veronica stood, wide eyed.

"I scared _you? _Hah! "She shook her head and sat on the chair.

"Hey, where's Kristi?" Carole asked, just noticing she was absent from the group.

"She stayed home with her mom to go shopping for new breeches." Veronica growled.

"Why didn't you go?" Lisa asked. She knew that Veronica and Kristi did _everything _together.

"My dad signed me up for lessons today and so I couldn't go." She said glumly. Lisa nodded, understanding.

Carole glanced outside, but Stevie and Phil had not gotten back yet. The snow had worsened quite a bit, and if they didn't make it back soon, they'd be trapped out in the woods.

On the Trail…

Stevie squinted her eyes to see ahead. Her and Phil were almost at the barn, but they had to cross a windy plain to get there. The snow had worsened a ton, and was now a full out blizzard.

"Hey Stevie!" Phil yelled, his voice barely heard through the wind.

"Yes?" She screamed back. The snow was much deeper where they were, and Belle could only walk through it slowly.

"I think we should dismount and walk our horses towards the barn!" He yelled.

Stevie dismounted immediately and trudged through the deep snow. She felt the water sink into her pants, but she walked on, Belle following. Phil and Teddy weren't that far ahead, and she could make out the barn in the distance.

Within ten minutes, they arrived at the barn. Phil could barely get the door open because of the snow, but he managed to get it wide enough to fit their horses inside.

Stevie closed the doors as soon as she got inside. Belle and Teddy stood together to keep warm. Phil flipped on the lights, which worked, luckily. Once the door was shut, the wind locked out, the barn warmed up a little. Stevie shivered.

Her legs and mid-waist were soaking wet, and Phil wasn't much better. She didn't have anything to change into, so she sat on a hay bale and watched as Phil untacked the horses. She wanted to help, but her legs were sore and weak, and she couldn't really get up from where she was.

"I should have listened to Carole." She whined. Phil sighed.

"It's not all your fault, I'm to blame too! If we'd have gone back when you said too, we wouldn't be in this mess." Phil pointed out. Stevie nodded slightly.

"I guess." She shivered again. Phil pulled out the blanket from his saddle bag and draped it over her. She smiled at him.

"Thanks."

Phil grinned. "No problem! My coat is longer than yours, so only my shins and ankles are wet." He pointed to his pants. Stevie groaned as she looked at herself. Her pants and part of her shirt were soaked.

She turned to Phil. "So what are we going to do?" She asked.

Phil shrugged. "I don't know, but I don't think we're leaving anytime soon." He motioned outside. "It looks as though we'll be staying here all night.

Stevie sighed and looked out the window. It was going to be a long, and not to mention cold, night.

* * *

I am so so so sorry it took me so long to finish! I was so caught up with school and homework I wasn't able to write as much as I had hoped. Thank you to everyone and I hope you enjoy these last few chapters! Few meaning like….seven or so. Depends…


	11. Chapter 11: Problems Arising

**Chapter Eleven: Problems Arising**

Carole stood watch at the window. Veronica was looking at some magazines with Lisa, pointing out the things she really wanted to get. Carole was surprised they were getting along so well. Eventually Max and Red popped in.

"Hey girls, would you mind walking up to the barn with us?" Max asked. Carole tore her gaze from the window.

"Why?" She asked, curious.

"Well, we've been snowed in. Don't worry, I made sure to tell your parents." Max groaned. "It's like a group…..sleepover."

Carole looked at Lisa excited. They were thrilled to be able to sleep over at Pine Hollow.

Veronica, on the other hand, scowled at them. "This is horrible!" She cried. Max placed a hand on her shoulder.

"You'll be fine. One night won't kill you." He turned to the other girls. "Help me grab some blankets and food from the kitchen." He called.

About twenty minutes later they trudged through to the barn where they met up with everyone else. Mrs. R had laid out sleeping bags in the hay loft, and Carole and Lisa went around draping blankets over each one.

"Everyone come here! I need to do a head count!" Max called. Everyone raced to the center of the barn. They got in a long line as Max counted heads.

"Um…where are Phil and Stevie?" He asked ten minutes later. Carole looked at Lisa worried. She had totally forgot about them in the excitement of the sleepover.

"Um…..Max?" Lisa motioned Max over to them. Max waved everybody else off and approached the girls.

"Yes? Where are they?" Max demanded.

"Well…you see….." Lisa trailed off, a bit nervous.

"Stevie and Phil went on a trail ride." Carole spoke up. Max stared at them wide-eyed.

"You let them? They-How long have they been gone?" He asked, frantically trying to figure out what to do.

"About half an hour…" Carole sighed. Max groaned. He paced back and forth for a good ten minutes before replying.

"Do you know where they were going?" He asked.

"Um...they said they were heading towards the lake, and then your old barn." Lisa chided. Max nodded.

"Well, it's too late to send a team out now, and the snow is too deep. We'll have to go tomorrow morning." He looked at the two worried faces. "If they made it to the old barn they should be fine." He assured them. "This is Stevie, remember? She'll figure out what to do. In the meantime, there's leftover pizza in the office for everyone." The girls nodded and walked off. Mrs. R approached Max.

"What's wrong?" She asked, seeing the panicked look on Max's face.

"It's Stevie and Phil, they're out in the blizzard." He replied, and Mrs. R gasped.

"Will they be okay?" She asked.

"I sure hope so." Max sighed and he walked off to help the other riders.

Out at the barn…

Stevie helped Phil drag out a few old tarps from under a pile of wood. They had found these while looking for horse blankets. They had been very lucky.

Stevie pulled out a couple of horse blankets. She gave one to Phil, and put the other on Belle.

"Cool!" Phil said as she handed him his. "That's a great find Stevie!"

Stevie grinned. "You bet! We've been extremely lucky. Two tarps and horse blankets?" She tried to laugh, but ended up coughing instead.

"Hey, are you okay?" Phil asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Stevie went back to the pile. "Hey Phil! Look!" She held up two more horse blankets. Phil smiled and took one. They placed them on the tarps. Stevie glanced at her watch. It was only 5:15.

After an hour of preparing and lifting stuff up to make room, Stevie and Phil sat back on one of the hay bales. The horses were munching away happily at some of the loose hay. Stevie sat down and leaned back on the large stack of hay bales behind them. Phil did the same.

"Hey Stevie," Phil turned to her.

"Yeah?" Stevie sat up.

"Um…why were you so mean to Carole and Lisa earlier?" He asked softly.

Stevie looked at her feet. "I know, I was awfully mean wasn't I?" She smiled weakly. Phil nodded. "I'm sorry." She felt like she was going to cry, but held it back. She didn't want to appear weak.

"It's not me you should apologize to." Phil looked up at her. Stevie nodded.

"I know. I just wasn't feeling well. Not sick, just upset. This past week has been really hard, and, I guess I just took out my anger on them. I fell horrible, I shouldn't have done that." Stevie looked away.

Phil laid a hand on her shoulder. "I understand. Maybe when we get out of this mess, you can say all that to them?"

Stevie nodded and smiled. Phil smiled as well. Things were looking better already.

"So Stevie, want to play a game or something? You know, to pass the time?" Phil offered.

"Sure! What do you have in mind?" She asked. Phil thought for a moment.

"Oh!" He got up and ran to his saddle bag. He reached inside and pulled out a deck of cards. "I always keep these with me, just in case!" He smiled and sat down on his tarp.

Stevie leapt to her feet. Bad idea, the room seemed to shake and her stomach tightened. Her head throbbed, and she put a hand to her forehead.

"Stevie?" Phil asked worried. "Are you okay?"

Stevie nodded as her vision cleared. "Yeah, just got up to fast…" She attempted to laugh again but it ended up a cough.

"Are you sure?" Phil started to get up.

"Yeah! I'm fine!" Stevie sat down next to Phil on her tarp. "Let's play."

Phil dealt the cards and they played go-fish for a while. After about an hour of card games Stevie got up to check on the horses. As soon as she stood up her vision swam again, and her head hurt. Phil looked at her oddly.

"Stevie, maybe you should sit down…" Phil trailed off. Stevie shook her head, which made her headache worse.

"I'm okay…..I'll just….check on the horses." She walked over and did a quick look over of the two of them. She accidentally woke Belle, who had been sleeping, and she quickly patted the horse in apology.

"They look fine." Stevie replied. Phil nodded, content.

"Good! We'll need them tomorrow to get home." He looked out the window. It seemed to have snowed about two feet of snow, which was a lot for where they were.

"Freak snowstorm…." He muttered.

Stevie started to walk over to her tarp when she stopped. Black dots danced in front of her eyes and she felt sick. She felt someone's hand on her shoulder and she turned.

"Stevie, you don't look so good. Maybe you should sit." Phil motioned to the tarp. "It's already 7:45, it would be good to get some sleep." Phil gently grabbed her hand. She pulled away suddenly.

"What's wrong?" He asked.

Stevie shivered. "Your hand is cold, that's all." She smiled at him, but he didn't smile back. He walked in front of her and placed his hand on her forehead. She shivered as the cold invaded her warmth.

"Stevie, you feel warm…" Phil trailed off. "Are you sure you're okay?" Stevie nodded.

"I'm fine."

Phil raised his eyebrow. "Okaaay…um…why don't you lie down. I'm going to sleep too, so….yeah." He watched as she practically collapsed onto her tarp. She pulled the horse blanket over her shivering body. Phil walked over to the light and flipped it off. He then crawled into his tarp and lay down. He looked over at Stevie. Her breathing had slowed and her eyes were closed. Phil was amazed at how quickly she had fallen asleep. Feeling his own tiredness sink in, he turned over and closed his eyes. They two slept peacefully, or almost peacefully.

Stevie woke up four times in the night. Once because she was cold, once because she wanted to check on Belle, and twice more because she had nightmares. She felt hot, but when she shook off the blanket, she was immediately freezing. Her throat hurt, and her head ached. Still, she managed to finally fall into a deep and dreamless sleep around 4:30 in the morning.

Phil woke up three times in the night. Once because he was cold, once because he was sore, and once because…well…he just did. The third time he woke was at 5:15 in the morning. He yawned and got up. He felt wide awake, and couldn't fall back asleep. He got up, checked on the horses, and then walked over to Stevie. He knelt down next to her head.

She shifted a little, but otherwise seemed to be fast asleep. He noticed her hands were clenched, and her face was flustered. Worried, he placed a hand on her forehead again. She shivered in her sleep, but otherwise didn't wake up. Phil pressed his hand against her skin. She was burning up. He stood up frantically. He didn't know what to do.

Everything was just getting worse; first the snow, then trapping them in the barn. Now Stevie was sick, and he had no way of helping her.


	12. Chapter 12: Help is On The Way

**Chapter Twelve: Help is on the Way**

Carole handed Lisa the dice. She shook her hand and gently tossed the cubes onto the flat playing board. They rolled for a moment before resting on one of their six sides.

"Yes! Six!" Lisa smiled as she moved her player six places on the board. Carole sighed.

"That'll be two hundred ten dollars." Carole looked up. Lisa handed her the money. They were playing Monopoly, and Lisa had just bought the last property in the blue set. Now she owned all three.

"Oh gosh Lisa, you're already winning! Why'd you have to rub it in our faces?" Veronica scowled. Lisa just laughed.

"It's how you play the game silly!" She smiled.

Carole nodded. "Yes, but Veronica, be warned, Lisa's bound to put hotels up soon!" Veronica rolled her eyes and Lisa nodded.

"But of course!" She handed Veronica the dice. Veronica rolled a four.

"Oh great, I get to go to jail." She said sarcastically. Carole reached across the board and placed Veronica's racecar in jail.

They played for about an hour before ending, Lisa victorious. It was ten past eight, and Max told them lights out at 8:30. Carole crawled into her sleeping bag after they had cleaned up the game. She stared up at the ceiling as she thought about Stevie. She hoped she was okay.

Lisa glanced over at Carole. "She'll be fine." Lisa assured her. "This is Stevie, remember?" Carole shook her head.

"Yeah, but this past week, Stevie's been acting less and less like the Stevie we know." Carole turned to Lisa. "You know what I mean?"

Lisa nodded. "Yeah, I know. But she's still Stevie, so I'm sure she'll be fine." Carole sighed and pulled the covers tighter. Even in the barn it was cold. Thinking about this did nothing but make her worry more. She finally closed her eyes and went to sleep, hoping that Stevie was alright.

She was wrong.

Out at the barn…

Phil sat next to Stevie. It was 6:30 in the morning. He watched as she slowly opened her eyes.

"Phil?" She whispered. "How long have you been awake?" She asked.

"Oh, about an hour or so." Phil looked at her. Her blue eyes seemed foggy, and her cheeks remained flustered. "How are you feeling?"

Stevie gulped nervously. She felt horrible, but she didn't want to tell Phil that. "I-I feel fine." She smiled weakly at him.

Phil looked at her strange. "Are you sure?" He asked, disbelief on his tongue. Stevie nodded and sat up slowly. Phil felt his muscles tighten, ready to catch her if something bad happened. But nothing did.

Stevie gently pulled the blanket off her legs and got to her feet. She staggered a little bit, and she felt strong hands on her shoulders, steadying her. Stevie looked behind her and Phil smiled at her.

She walked over towards Belle. Her horse seemed quite fine, if not happy. She nickered softly at Stevie, and turned to nuzzle Teddy's snout.

Stevie smiled at the simple show of affection. She turned and walked back over to where Phil was standing.

"So what's the plan for this morning?" She asked. "We have to open the door in order to get the horses out, should we start there?"

Phil nodded slowly. "I can do it, why don't you lie back down." He motioned to the tarp.

Stevie shook her head, and was left dazed for a moment afterwards. "I can help." She slowly walked over towards the door. Phil walked ahead and started pushing. The door didn't budge one bit. Stevie placed her hands next to Phil's.

"On three?" She asked. Phil nodded, nervous for Stevie's sake. She slowly counted to three.

"-Three!" Together they pushed as hard as they could. Phil felt his sore muscles start to burn, but he ignored them.

Stevie leaned on the door as hard as she could. She felt sick to her stomach, but wanted to do _something _to help. She felt small beads of sweat form on her head and she grunted with the effort. She felt the door slide a little. She could tell Phil felt it too because he started pushing even harder.

Suddenly a wave of dizziness over took Stevie. She paused for a moment, and black dots formed in front of her eyes. She stood, clutching her head, but the black dots remained there. She felt herself sway, and she was worried she was going to faint.

Phil noticed the door suddenly seemed at lot heavier. He glanced over at Stevie, who had let go and was standing a few paces away, clutching her head.

"Stevie? You okay?" He let go of the door and slowly approached the girl.

"Yeah, I'm fine, just give me a sec." Stevie replied. Phil stood, waiting for her to return or to go back to her bed. He watched as a violent shudder ran through the girl. Then, Stevie's knees buckled and she collapsed onto the cold barn floor.

Phil ran to the fallen figure. He picked up the girl and placed Stevie's head in his lap. She seemed almost asleep, with her eyes closed like that. Phil didn't worry too much. He figured it was only because she worked herself too hard.

Phil got up and gently placed Stevie on top of her tarp. He slid the horse blanket over her. Feeling a desierable urge, he leaned forward and gently placed his lips on her forehead. She didn't move. Standing up, Phil walked back over to the door and tried opened it again. It didn't budge.

Phil sighed. It had snowed so much the door had frozen shut. He figured the only way to open it was to warm it up, but they didn't have the time to wait for the sun to do it. Phil looked around the barn. There was a total of three windows.

One was over by the horses, but was too high for Phil to reach. Another was over by the pile of wood, but Philo was worried the wood pile wouldn't be stable enough to stand on. The last was directly above the large wall of hay the barn kept for storage. Considering his options, Phil walked over to the hay. Gently placing a foot in one of the bales, he hoisted himself up. Higher and higher he climbed, until he reached the window. It too had frozen shut. Phil glanced at his watch; 7:30. Closing his eyes, Phil leaned back and rammed his right arm into the glass. The glass shattered and left an opening just big enough to climb through. His arm stinging from the glass, Phil crawled through the window and fell to the snow below.

The snow cushioned his fall, and he got up immediately. Running as fast as he could, he followed the trail markers back towards Pine Hollow.

At the barn:

Lisa was the first one up. She woke up around 7:35, which was early for her. Carole was still asleep, and Veronica was snoring loudly. She got up slowly and walked towards the office, where Max was preparing coffee. Max looked up as she entered the room.

"Morning Lisa, how'd you sleep?" He asked.

"Oh, it was fine." She replied dully.

"What's wrong? You seem down today." Max noticed. Lisa nodded.

"I-I'm worried about Stevie." She said honestly. Max nodded.

"I'm making some coffee and than Red and I are headed out to look for them. I'm sure they're fine!" Max smiled.

Suddenly a snow-clad figure burst into the room. "Max-pant-I- pant-need to-pant-talk to you."

Max rushed forward. The figure shook off most of the snow, revealing themselves as Phil.

"Phil!" Lisa ran to him. "Where's Stevie?"

Phil paused for a moment, relieved he made it in good time. "Stevie….old barn….stuck…." Phil managed. He was awfully out of breath from running so far in the snow.

"Thanks Phil, you sit down on the couch. Lisa, would you mind helping him clean up the snow?" Max ran out the door without waiting for an answer.

"Wait!" Phil ran out with Max leaving Lisa alone in the room. She sighed as she picked up a towel to clean up the already melting snow.

Max mounted up on Delilah, and Red on Barq. Phil grabbed Comanche and the three of them galloped out in the snow towards the barn. Phil explained everything on the way as he led them through the snow towards the barn.

_Don't worry Stevie, we're on our way. _Phil thought as they galloped through the snow.


	13. Chapter 13: From Bad to Worse

**Chapter Thirteen: From Bad to Worse**

Stevie woke to the sound of dripping water. Some of the snow from the previous night had started to melt, and that cheered her up. She slowly sat up.

Her headache was still there, but had slowed a little. Her stomach was no longer queasy, and she didn't feel as hot. Smiling in relief, she turned over towards Phil's tarp.

It was empty.

Stevie leapt to her feet, ignoring her aching legs and the dizziness. She glanced around, panicked.

Phil was nowhere to be seen. Stevie glanced up and saw the broken window. She didn't know what had happened, but Phil had apparently left, and in a hurry. Stevie was a little disappointed that he hadn't woken her, but figured it must have been important for him to leave through a broken window. Stevie walked over towards the door. She gave it a small push and it slid open quite easily. Enough snow must have melted, because she was able to open it wide enough to get the horses out.

She walked over and led Belle out of the barn. She closed the door quickly before Teddy could follow. She assumed Phil would return for his horse.

After quickly tacking up Belle, she hoisted herself up using a fallen log. She was still too tired to try and do it without a little help.

Once on, she gave a light kiss and together they cantered off towards Pine Hollow.

About three minutes after Stevie had left, Phil, Max, and Red approached the barn. Phil quickly dismounted and ran towards the barn. He was surprised to find the main door propped open, and figured Stevie had opened it for him. He ran inside.

"Stevie! I'm back! I brought he-" He froze when he saw the barn empty, except for Teddy. Stevie had even cleaned up her tarp and blanket.

"Stevie?" Phil walked over and saw Belle was gone. Panic raced through him and he ran back outside as Max was getting off.

"She's not here!" He yelled.

Max tilted his head. "She's not? Where would she be?"

"I don't know!" Phil groaned. "She must have gotten the door to open and took Belle out!" He sat down in the snow. Max walked over and kneeled down next to him.

"It'll be okay! This is Stevie! Remember? She'll be fine! She's probably on her way to Pine Hollow right now!" Max reassured Phil. However, Phil just shook his head.

He explained last night to Max, about how she was feverish, and dizzy. Max's face went pale.

He ran over to Delilah and mounted up. "Come on! We have to get back to Pine Hollow!"

He gave Delilah a firm kick and they galloped off towards the barn, Phil following behind.

Stevie held Belle's mane as they flew over a fallen branch. She figured they were almost to Pine Hollow. Or at least, she hoped. The black dots were reappearing in her eyes, and the headache returned as well. This she tried to ignore, and focused on the task at hand, getting back to Pine Hollow.

She urged Belle on faster. They galloped through the woods, branches skimming off Stevie's face leaving multiple small scratches. She ignored that too, and kept going. After about twenty minutes, she slowed Belle down. They had approached another stretch of woods, and Stevie was getting worried. They should've been at Pine Hollow by now.

During the twenty minutes Stevie was in the woods, Phil followed Max back to Pine Hollow. They arrived soon, and Phil quickly got off. Carole, who was now awake, ran over to them. Lisa followed.

"Where's Stevie?" Carole asked.

"We don't know. We got there and she was gone." Max said. "I take it you haven't seen her?"

Both girls shook their heads.

Max sighed. "We'll check the closest trail; maybe she took a different route back." They galloped off once again leaving Carole and Lisa there stunned.

"We should help look!" Lisa said with a smile. "We know her best, so I'll bet we can find her the fastest!"

Carole nodded. They tacked up together and cantered off towards the woods.

Stevie led Belle through the woods. She didn't know where they were, and everything looked different in the snow. She figured she had accidentally strayed off the trail because the trail markers had disappeared.

Wiping her nose on her sleeve, she led Belle down a small slope. At the base was the creek. Stevie smiled. The creek led to Pine Hollow! She could follow it back! She didn't feel up to cantering, but her and Belle trot slowly along the creek bed, hope restored once again.

Carole and Lisa cantered through the woods. They didn't like rough riding as much as Stevie, but they wanted to find their friend.

They just hoped they could find her before it was too late.

* * *

Sorry for the short chapter! I've been having trouble finding time to write! Next few chapters should be longer!


	14. Chapter 14: On the Bright Side of Things

**Chapter Fourteen: On the Bright Side of Things**

Stevie slowed Belle to a stop. They had been trotting for what seemed like hours and weren't getting anywhere. She felt dizzy, and tired. After much thought, she dismounted and led Belle over to the edge of the creek, where she drank happily.

Stevie sat down on a warm log. The sun had melted the snow off of it and it was quite dry. She yawned and fought to stay awake. She kept herself from falling asleep by watching for anyone. She wondered where Phil was.

Phil wondered where Stevie was. Their group had been walking for a while, but still had no sign of her. They had taken one of the wooded trails. Phil looked around, hoping to find a sign of her presence, but found nothing. He sighed, and picked up a trot. All this thinking had put him a good distance behind Max and Red!

Carole followed Lisa as they cantered along the creek bank. They had thought it would be less rough, and there wouldn't be so many twigs and fallen logs.

Carole sighed as they turned a corner along the creek. She always hoped that Stevie would be waiting for them around the corner, but she never was.

They cantered on for a while, soon slowing to a trot. Carole leaned back in the saddle and closed her eyes. The sun was warm on her face, and it felt good. She let the reins slacken, trusting Starlight to follow Prancer.

She heard a squeak from Lisa and slowly opened one eye. She panicked when she saw Prancer bent down, sniffing for food, Lisa nowhere to be seen. She snapped to attention.

Lisa was running towards a figure sitting on a fallen log. Her silky black horse was snuffling a pile of dead leaves, and appeared content. Carole felt her heart surge.

Stevie!

She slid from the saddle and joined Lisa in running. Stevie looked up sleepily. She smiled brightly when she saw Carole and Lisa running towards her. She got up slowly, swaying a bit from dizziness.

Just as Stevie took a step forward she was bombarded by two teen girls. Lisa was running with such force that she knocked her down and they fell to a heap on the ground. Laughing and smiling, they looked up at the sky.

"I can't believe we found you!" Carole said excitedly.

Lisa nodded and turned to look at Stevie. "We were so worried! Everyone was! Actually, Phil, Max and Red probably still are!"

Stevie scrunched up her face. "Why's that?"

Carole rolled her eyes. "When Phil got to us early this morning, he said you were stuck in the barn. When he got there with Max and Red, you weren't there!" Stevie's face turned red.

"Oh….oops." She muttered. Lisa laughed, mostly out of relief.

"Oh, it doesn't matter, we've found you now!" Lisa gave Stevie a mischievous glare. "So what'd you and Phil do? Being trapped, _all night!" _

Stevie's face got even redder, if that was possible. "Nothing! Honest! We played cards, and then I went to bed!" Lisa smiled and nodded, but the sly look never left her eyes.

"We'd better get back soon." Carole said. "I'd hate to make Max, Red, and Phil worry any longer! They don't know what happened to you!"

Stevie and Lisa nodded in unison. Carole stood up and helped Lisa to her feet. Stevie stood shakily, and felt herself sway on her feet. Carole put a hand on her shoulder to steady her.

"Are you alright? You don't look so good?"

Stevie's face had turned pale, and she was shaking. "Oh, me? I'm…." Stevie didn't know what to say. "I'm….not fine." She mumbled the last line, but Carole managed to catch it.

"Okay then. Why don't you ride behind me on Starlight? I'll lead Belle, don't worry!" She saw Stevie relax and accepted that as a yes.

Normally she would have made Stevie ride home on her own horse, but when Stevie needed help, she needed help. It was something she rarely admitted to, so when she did, it was usually important.

Carole mounted up on Starlight, Lisa doing the same on Prancer. With a great deal of Carole's help, she pulled herself up to sit behind Carole on Starlight.

Stevie leaned forward and rested her head on Carole's shoulder as they walked back towards Pine Hollow. Carole smiled. Stevie yawned and closed her eyes slowly. Within minutes she had dozed off.

Carole felt the other girl slump against her, and knew she had fallen asleep. She yawned herself, but kept her eyes open and kept riding. Within about twenty minutes they arrived at Pine Hollow. Phil and the group had not returned yet, and Carole reminded herself to call Max to end the search. Carole turned in her saddle and gently shook Stevie.

"Come on Stevie, wake up. We're at Pine Hollow!" Carole whispered soothingly.

Stevie groaned and opened her eyes slowly. She yawned and hugged Carole closer. Carole chuckled, but she pushed Stevie away gently.

"Come on." She slipped off the saddle and held Stevie's waist as she helped her down as well. Stevie leaned on Carole's shoulder, and Carole couldn't help but smile warmly. She turned to Lisa.

"Would you mind taking the horses in? I'm going to get Stevie to the lounge."

Lisa shook her head. "I'll get the horses, but shouldn't you take Stevie to the lounge? Then you can call Max without leaving her on her own." She turned to the drowsy blonde, a smile on her face.

Carole nodded. "Good idea, thanks Lisa!" She walked towards the office, Stevie using her for support. Once inside the office, Stevie walked over the couch where she collapsed, already half asleep.

Carole dialed Max's number. It rang three times before he picked up.

"Hello? Lisa, is this you?" Max's voice asked.

"No, Carole."

"Oh, Carole, did Stevie come back to the barn?" His voice was flooded with worry.

"Oh, she's fine. She's here in the lounge actually." Carole could almost see him relax.

"Can I talk to her?"

Carole glanced at the sleeping figure on the couch. "I don't think that will be possible, you see…"

"Why?!" Max's voice tensed up a bit.

"Oh, nothing bad! She's just sleeping!" Carole reassured him.

She heard Max sigh, "Thanks Carole. We'll be there soon!" He hung up.

Carole placed the phone back and sat down on the end of the couch. She gently pat Stevie's leg, in a protective manner.

"Huh?" Stevie's eyes fluttered open and she sat up groggily.

"Oh! Sorry! I didn't mean to wake you!" Carole apologized.

"It's okay, I probably needed to wake up anyways." Stevie looked down at her feet.

"I'm so sorry Carole."

"Sorry for what?" Carole had no idea why Stevie was apologizing.

"I-I didn't mean to be so mean earlier. I just, I don't know." She sighed. "I've been having a really bad week. But I shouldn't have taken it out on you and Lisa, I'm sorry."

Carole nudged Stevie's shoulder playfully. "Aww…it's okay! Everybody has bad days! Or weeks!" She grabbed the girl's hand gently.

"I'm just glad to still have you as my friend! Especially after what I said!" She looked Stevie in the eye.

"Oh, Carole, you know I can't stay mad at you for long!" Stevie smiled and gave Carole a hug. They remained in the brace until Carole once again felt Stevie slump against her.

Carole laid Stevie back on the couch and got up. She then slowly and quietly left the room to help Lisa with the horses.

* * *

The next chapter is the last! Oh, I'm so excited, but I'm also sad to end this. Maybe I'll do another…I don't know. Anyways, this last chapter may be a bit short, but it's just to kind of tie things together! Keep reviewing, and thanks to the people who've supported me along the way! I look forward to the end as much as you do!


	15. Chapter 15: Together, A Team, Forever

**Chapter Fifteen: Together, A Team, Forever**

Phil returned to the barn relived. Stevie was okay, Teddy was filling up on hay, and everyone was happy. Or, almost everyone.

"Why does the Saddle Club get all the attention around here?" Veronica spat. True, she did feel horrible about Stevie and Phil spending the night in the snow, but everyone was making such a big deal out of it!

"Oh Veronica, hush up." Phil scolded her. "It's not like they do it on purpose!"

Veronica glared at him and stalked off, muttering to herself angrily. Phil chuckled. After three nights of good sleep, Stevie had gotten better. As it turned out, it was just a really, really bad cold! Of course, that didn't make Lisa too happy, and she kept blaming herself for Stevie getting sick.

On Sunday the show went by very well, Lisa and Carole doing exceptionally well! Even Veronica won quite a few events. And Stevie had watched from the sidelines, giving them the support of a loving friend. She ever cheered on Veronica while she was jumping. Veronica however blames Stevie for distracting her, and that's why she got second instead of first, which went to Carole.

Everything had ended well. Phil also felt closer to Stevie than before, and was glad.

Stevie walked over to the pastures. Carole and Lisa were sitting on the fence, laughing. Stevie climbed up and joined them. They were watching the sunset together. The clouds had turned pink and yellow, and a streak of orange covered the sky. It was truly beautiful.

"So I guess, after that week of chaos, we really _can _handle any problem that's thrown at us! Right?" Lisa asked aloud. Carole nodded.

"You bet! However, I hope we never have to do that again!" She laughed.

Stevie grinned. "You can say that again!" They smiled and laughed as they watched the setting sun.

* * *

And it was true. Through all the chaos they had prevailed. For through the good times, and the bad, they stuck together as a team, truly proving the Saddle Club _was _forever.

* * *

Oh my gosh! It's done! I'm so so so so so happy! I hope you are too! I wanted to thank serenityskywalker for her support and ideas through the process of the story! I want to thank my mom for letting me type even when I was grounded, and my sisters who complained to me for hogging the computer! I also want to thank my dad who gave me some helpful tips along the way. I couldn't have done it without you all!

And I must say. I definitely didn't expect it to get as many views as it did! I truly appreciate it! It makes me so glad!

I'm hoping to work on a Percy Jackson Fanfic, and maybe a Kim Possible one as well if anyone has any ideas or tips on what to do. And if anybody has any questions PM me! I'd love to talk with you!

Thanks again for all your support! This was truly a great first fanfic! I hope to see you all around!

Keep writing!

-Reyna


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